Classical influences on contemporary newspeak

Abstract

We tend to think of modern phenomena such as ‘newspeak’ as being a child of the times in which we live, a child of the mass media age. However, in this article it is shown that ‘newspeak’ began at least 2000 years ago, and that the earliest examples of such language remain fundamental in current usage. The Romans, perhaps viewed as unemotional people, actually wrote in an emotional fashion, and were preoccupied with virtues and vices where these were visible in public life. The literature they created contains an abundance of material which is drawn upon today for precisely the ‘newspeak’ which covers contemporary political events and dominates the media.