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Doublespeak

All individuals experience the concept of doublespeak at some point in their lives. Whether at home or in school or in our respective social settings, we have each experienced or engaged in doublespeak for various reasons. In his article about the subject, Lutz explains that doublespeak, though associated with telling lies, should not be confused with actual telling of lies. In essence, he states that doublespeak is a form of language whereby people pretend to be communicating a message when in real sense they are not. A language that makes bad appear as good and good appear as bad: it does not communicate the actual truth of the matter. The concept of doublespeak cannot be easily recognized or understood by many, and in most cases, people are confused by doublespeak as they cannot understand the real message being brought out by the speaker. The motives and effects of the use of doublespeak cannot be understood without a consideration of the various forms of doublespeak that exists, as well as, their usage in language.

Because of the complexity of the concept of doublespeak, four main types of doublespeak have been identified including euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook, and inflated language. Euphemism refers to inoffensive language that is used for the avoidance of unpleasant reality. Put simply, they are sweet words that are used in place of hurtful ones, so as to avoid negative consequences. Such a type of doublespeak illustrates how positive words can be used in place of negative words, and it is the most common form of doublespeak that individuals engage in today. In most cases, individuals use euphemism out of concern, and they utilize this form of doublespeak to avoid hurting the feelings of others. The second type of doublespeak identified by Lutz is jargon, which he defines as the language of trade. Jargon is a type of language that is only recognizable and understandable by people belonging to the same social and professional group, and it functions to allow efficient communication between these groups. Individuals who do not belong to a particular professional or social group will be incapable of understanding the message being communicated using Jargon, thus illustrating the multifaceted nature of doublespeak in society today.

Lutz highlights gobbledygook or bureaucratese as the third type of doublespeak, which he further defines as the utilization of scores of words in a sentence for the sole purpose of overwhelming the audiences. In this form of doublespeak, the speaker uses various complex words in their language, which makes it hard for the audience to understand the meaning being brought across by the speaker. Most users of gobbledygook have a tendency of using bigger words and longer sentences, thus causing a form of miscommunication between the speaker and his audience as they cannot understand each other. The last but not least form of doublespeak is defined as inflated language, or what is known to many as exaggeration. It is a form of language where the speaker tends to make the ordinary appear as extra ordinary when in real sense it is not. Most users of this type of doublespeak tend to use it for the provision of importance to people or incidences that cannot be termed as important at the first look. Most storytellers have been accused of utilizing this form of doublespeak in their professions.

Conclusively, the consequences of doublespeak are primarily reliant on the fact that they cause miscommunication between speakers and their audience and the audience does not understand the message being communicated. Doublespeak impacts proper communication between people, which in turn affects how individuals understand what is going on around them.