The Language Of The Free

In the appendix to 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' (1949), George Orwell explains the principles of Newspeak, the official language of Oceania devised to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc, or English Socialism. Designed to control thinking and eradicate dissent, Newspeak’s three vocabularies form a deliberately restricted alternative to its predecessor, Oldspeak.

Corporate language can evolve in a similar direction. At its worst, ‘Corpspeak’ rewards conformity, disciplines thought, and makes challenges difficult to conceive, let alone express.

Newspeak’s Vocabulary A covers everyday activities and is ‘intended only to express simple, purposive thoughts, usually involving concrete objects or physical actions.’ Its corporate equivalent would include: ‘deliver,’ ‘complete,’ ‘approve’, words of execution, with little room for deliberation.

Vocabulary B is explicitly ideological: its words require an insider understanding of the principles of Ingsoc. In today’s corporate setting, they would include jargon such as ‘right-sizing’, ‘value-enhancing,’ or ‘future-proofing.’ It would also include abbreviations and acronyms supplied and used in abundance by the corporate swamp to compensate for its insecurity while asserting its authority.

Vocabulary C contains exclusively scientific and technical terms. Corporate finance has ‘discount rate,’ ‘terminal value,’ and ‘working capital.’ These permit precision and save time.

Slang offers an alternative. In ‘Slang in America’ (1885), the American poet Walt Whitman celebrated its ‘lawless germinal element.’ Slang’s inventiveness, ambiguity, and irreverence run counter to the ambition of Newspeak. A vocabulary controlled from above cannot comfortably accommodate meanings invented from below.

Take London’s Cockney rhyming slang. A phrase rhyming with the intended word is picked, and, usually, the rhyming part is dropped: ‘apples and pears’ (stairs) becomes ‘apples’, ‘Britney Spears’ (beers) becomes ‘Britneys’, ’pork pies’ (lies) becomes ‘porkies.’ 

A few proposed entries for M&A:

In a world where language has become coding, slang is the counter-language of the free.