The Construction of Language by Power in George Orwell’s Novel 1984.

George Orwell’s novel 1984 is one of the most powerful literary texts that makes visible the dominance that modern power exerts not only over bodies and behaviors, but also over language, the material basis of thought. In the novel, the totalitarian regime, in order to sustain its power, goes beyond violence and surveillance, aiming to eliminate the conditions for the possibility of thought. At the heart of this strategy is Newspeak, systematically created by the Party. Newspeak is not merely a means of communication; it is a linguistic regime that restricts thought, makes opposition impossible, and ontologically secures power.

I. The Relationship Between Language and Power: The Theoretical Framework of Newspeak
In 1984, Orwell treats language not as a tool independent of thought, but as a fundamental structure that defines the limits of thought. In the novel’s Appendix (The Principles of Newspeak), this relationship is explicitly formulated:

“The aim of Newspeak was not only to provide a means of expressing worldview and mental habits, but also to render impossible all other ways of thinking that used Oldspeak.” (Orwell, 1984, Appendix: The Principles of Newspeak, p. 299)

This passage clearly reveals what power aims to achieve through language: the elimination of alternative thought possibilities. Thus, repression transforms from an external compulsion into an internal necessity.

II. The Narrowing of Vocabulary and the Impoverishment of Thought
The fundamental principle of Newspeak is to reduce the number of words. The Party’s assumption is clear: as words decrease, so do thoughts. The character Syme expresses this enthusiastically:

“Fewer and fewer words each year, and the field of consciousness a little narrower each year.” (Orwell, 1984, Chapter I/5, p. 52)

This approach fundamentally differs from classical methods of repression. Instead of prohibiting or suppressing, power creates a universe in which thought is impossible. For example, the word “freedom” can only be used in Newspeak in a physical sense (e.g., “this dog is free”); its political or ethical connotation is deliberately prevented (Orwell, 1984, Appendix, p. 305).

III. Thought Crime and the Preventive Function of Language
The real danger for the Party is not action but thought. However, Newspeak aims to neutralize thought crime before it even arises:

“There would be no such thing as thought crime, because there would be no words to express it.”
(Orwell, 1984, Appendix, p. 302)

At this point, language becomes a preventive rather than a punitive apparatus. Unlike the surveillance mechanisms described by Michel Foucault in disciplinary societies, Orwell depicts a more advanced stage where power is internalized in the individual’s mind.

IV. Doublethink and the Subversion of Meaning
Newspeak operates not only through word reduction but also through the contradictory restructuring of meaning. “Doublethink” is the capacity of an individual to believe in two contradictory propositions simultaneously:

“Doublethink means accepting two contradictory beliefs at the same time and believing in both.”
(Orwell, 1984, Chapter II/9, p. 214)

This mechanism shows that language has lost its function of expressing truth. Slogans such as “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery,” and “Ignorance is strength” symbolize the transformation of language into an instrument of power that reverses truth (Orwell, 1984, Chapter I/1, p. 6).

V. Newspeak and Totalitarian Reason: A Critical Assessment
Orwell’s critique of language is not directed solely at a fictional future; Newspeak is a structural warning directed at 20th-century totalitarianisms. It shows how ideology, by seizing control of language,:

renders opposition meaningless,
leaves criticism speechless,
alienates the individual from their own consciousness.
In this context, 1984 reveals that language is not a neutral tool, but the deepest and most enduring weapon of power.

In short;
The language that power seeks to create in 1984 is not merely a system regulating communication, but a total project that reconstructs the ontological foundation of thought. Through Newspeak, the Party makes oppression invisible and thus perpetuates it; for now, even thinking against power is impossible. Orwell’s critique remains a radical warning against the political manipulation of language in the modern world.

The Use of Oppression
Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Modern Classics, London, 2003.