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Lingwa ġdida - Newspeak

Qed naqsam magħkom l-editorjal ta' Radio 101 minn John Zammit, tal-lum il-Ħamis 28 ta' Novembru 2013.




Fir-rumanz '1984', George Orwell jiddeskrivi kif reġim soċjalista jagħti tifsiriet ġodda lil kliem qodma b'mod li n-nies ma jkunux jistgħu jikkritikawh. Il-vokabolarju l-ġdid jissejjaħ 'newspeak'. Dil-ħaġa suppost tiġri fil-pajjiż fittizju Owelljan ta' 'Oceania'. Imma issa, fl-aħħar xhur, qed jiżviluppa 'newspeak' ġdid f'pajjiż ta' veru.

F'dal-pajjiż, il-kelma 'etika' issa saret tfisser li tkun ministru u tagħmel ukoll xogħol privat. In-'newspeak' ta' dal-pajjiż jagħti ħafna tifsiriet għal dil-kelma biex żgur tifhimha. Per eżempju, tfisser li 'tkun ministru u ddaħħal il-mara taħdem miegħek fil-ministeru tiegħek stess'; jew 'tiddikjara li ma qlajtx lanqas il-paga minima mill-professjoni'. Tifsira oħra hi: 'il-gvern iħallsek biex tikri l-karozza tiegħek lilek innifsek'. Hemm ħafna tifsiriet ta' 'etika' li maż-żmien jaf jitilgħu sa nofs miljun.

Il-kelma 'trasparenza' fin-newspeak li żviluppa hi importanti ħafna u tfisser li tiftiehem ma' ħafna nies li tagħtihom dak li jridu – per eżempju ħatra, permess, anke passaport – imma żżomm kollox moħbi. Dik hi t-'trasparenza' fin-newspeak li dejjem jikber. Per eżempju dari l-kelma 'xiri' kienet tfisser li tħallas biex takkwista xi ħaġa, jew lil xi ħadd. Fin-newspeak il-ġdid, dan issa trid tgħidlu 'investiment'. Per eżempju: 'mort is-supermarket ninvesti', jew 'il-barranin jistgħu jinvestu f'passaport'.

Kelma oħra b'tifsira ġdida hi 'accountability'; waħda mill-kbar tan-newspeak. Tfisser, per eżempju, li l-kap tal-pulizija jissoda postu wara li jgħajjar il-qorti għax tilef kawża fuq ritratt li qatt ma ttieħed, u jissoda postu wkoll meta, bil-maqlub, ma jmurx il-qorti b'każ ta' allegazzjoni ta' talba għal tixħim ta' flus kbar ħafna.

Dat-tifsiriet ġodda tan-newspeak trid titgħallimhom kollha. Jekk ma tifhimx xi ħaġa tista' tikkonsulta l-commentboards tal-ġurnali elettroniċi fejn 'esperti indipendenti' – qabel dawn kienu magħrufin bħala 'elves' – jagħtuk it-tifsiriet li trid. Per eżempju, ma tistax tuża aktar il-kelma 'iffangar' għal meta ministri, deputati, kandidati, in-nisa u l-qraba tagħhom, u tal-qalba, jaħtfu kemm jifilħu. Il-kelma għal dil-ħaġa fin-newspeak issa hi 'meritokrazija'. Li tfisser ukoll 'tippoża għal ritratt fuq billboard'.

F'1984, George Orwell kien iddeskriva reat gravi – 'thoughtcrime' – meta tuża kliem bit-tifsiriet l-antiki, u mhux il-ġodda. U anke fin-newspeak ta' dal-pajjiż jeżisti dar-reat. Dan tagħmlu meta tuża l-libertà tal-espressjoni biex tikkritika xi ħaġa ħażina. Fin-newspeak il-ġdid din il-crime isejħulha 'tkun negattiv'.


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