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The power of the sounds and rhythms of language has intrigued authors, leading some to move away from standard English as they explore the visceral power of words and the cultural meanings layered on the already complex idea of abstract language. Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” stands as the first notable example, in which sound and cadence trump meaning per se. George Orwell’s Newspeak and the teen dialect Nadsat from Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange take this notion in more ominous directions, exploring the power of language to truncate individual thought and public discourse and its role social alienation and personal isolation. The two authors give the dialects an oddly fluid sound and a disturbing appeal—a friend of mine once complained that Nadsat sounds “more natural than English.”
Poet and artist mez applies this idea to internet subcultures. In a blog constructed in the language mezangelle, she plays with both computer code and the phonetics of English, drawing elements from concrete poetry and—to some extent—Leetspeak to trace the reflexive nature of language. The medium chosen for communication and the subject matter insidiously shape language: moving from changes in vocabulary to alterations in syntax and word structure. The influence of technology seems to reverse the common wisdom regarding the evolution of language, the idea that advances like the printing press (and even writing itself) made forms more permanent (e.g., German after the publication of Luther’s Bible).
. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.
The power of the sounds and rhythms of language has intrigued authors, leading some to move away from standard English as they explore the visceral power of words and the cultural meanings layered on the already complex idea of abstract language. Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” stands as the first notable example, in which sound and cadence trump meaning per se. George Orwell’s Newspeak and the teen dialect Nadsat from Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange take this notion in more ominous directions, exploring the power of language to truncate individual thought and public discourse and its role social alienation and personal isolation. The two authors give the dialects an oddly fluid sound and a disturbing appeal—a friend of mine once complained that Nadsat sounds “more natural than English.”