Sir, – George Orwell published his book, 1984, 75 years ago. The book is about England under a dictatorship, and he described the introduction of Newspeak, a version of the English language with such a limited vocabulary that dissent would be impossible, as there would be no words to express it.
Adjectives were reduced to “good” and “ungood”.
The modern version of Newspeak goes further, and replaces all such descriptive words with “unbelievable” or “incredible”.
We speak of looking at an unbelievable view or watching an incredible game.
‘Law subsists by power’: The Old Bailey in modern times
An Irish man in California: what I did first notice was how people talk about themselves. Compared to the typical older Irish man
‘I can walk in the streets, not afraid. The vibe of Dublin city just leads me to feel very comfortable here’
Your EV questions answered: How do plug-in hybrids work in practice and do they make sense for your pocket?
The cry of “I don’t believe it!” now means “I am amazed/ delighted/disappointed/ horrified (and I do believe it)”.
In an era of misinformation, disinformation and lies, it is dangerous that we are losing the ability to say we think that something is untrue.
MICHAEL PEGUM,
Donnybrook,
Dublin.