Definition:
Language intended to distort or obscure its actual meaning. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms, unsupported generalizations, or deliberate ambiguity. See also:
- Gobbledygook
- Soft Language
- Mystification
- Weasel Word
- Fifty Reasons You'll Never Be Told, "You're Fired"
- Euphemisms, Dysphemisms, and Distinctio
Etymology:
A neologism based on the compounds Newspeak and Oldspeak in George Orwell's novel 1984 (1949)Examples and Observations:
- "With doublespeak, banks don't have 'bad loans' or 'bad debts'; they have 'nonperforming assets' or 'nonperforming credits' which are 'rolled over' or 'rescheduled.' . . .
(William Lutz, The New Doublespeak. HarperCollins, 1996) - "Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
(George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," 1946) - "I reminded [the soldiers] and their families that the war in Iraq is really about peace."
(George W. Bush, April 2003) - "Tact is kind; diplomacy is useful; euphemism is harmless and sometimes entertaining. By contrast, doublespeak is dishonest and dangerous."
(Julian Burnside, Word Watching. Thunder's Mouth Press, 2004) - "[Umbro designer David] Blanch has employed an impressive amount of doublespeak to talk up the technological wizardry of his design. The shirts boast 'intelligent ventilation points,' which look very much like arm holes to you and me. It incorporates 'tailored shoulder darts specifically designed to accommodate the biodynamics of the shoulder.' It's hard to tell from the official pictures, but this ever-so-clever touch appears to be a seam."
(Helen Pidd, "New All-White England Kit." The Guardian, March 29, 2009) - "Nowadays politicians don't admit to being wrong when they are wrong--instead they 'misspeak.'"
(Howard Kahane and Nancy Cavender, Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric. Thomson, 2005)
Pronunciation: DUB-bel SPEK
Also Known As: double talk
