Newspeak: 1984

The concept of "newspeak" in 1984 is one that involves the elimination of "unnecessary" words for the purpose of eradicating the thoughts that usually accompany those words. It all comes down to fear. Because language has been downsized, eventually people will have no memory of the old words. And because of this, if one is feeling a certain way, there is no longer a word to express the feeling. Controlling language in this way leads people to think that their feelings are not justified or real. If words do not exist for an action, one is unable to perform the action. If words do not exist for a thought or concept, one is unable to think about complex matters. Elimination of words ultimately puts all control into the Thought Police's, and the Party's, hands because people are less able to rebel or to challenge authority.
Although I can think of no individual or group who has attempted to eliminate all connotations of words, I can think of some instances in which language has been "minimized." First of all, language has naturally downsized since the nineteenth century. Poetry that could be easily understood then is no longer as easily understood now because certain words are not commonly used in today's society. Second of all, rappers and other "hip" celebrities have succeeded in getting many people to use slang words in place of more elaborate and classy words. This minimizes one's language in that these slang words have so many connotations that one can use them in a multitude of situations. Because of this, many other words are believed to be no longer cool or necessary to convey a message. 1984's concept of "newspeak" may not be much of a reality in our society; however, influencial figures unknowingly encourage this concept at times.