1984

           Intheendweshallmakethoughtcrimeliterallyimpossible,becausetherewillbenowordsinwhichtoexpressit. Everyconceptthatcaneverbeneeded,willbeexpressedbyexactlyoneword, withitsmeaningrigidlydefinedandallitssubsidiarymeaningsrubbedoutandforgotten. Already,intheEleventhEdition,we’renotfarfromthatpoint. ButtheprocesswillstillbecontinuinglongafteryouandIaredead. Everyyearfewerandfewerwords,andtherangeofconsciousnessalwaysalittlesmaller. Evennow,ofcourse,there’snoreasonorexcuseforcommittingthoughtcrime. It’smerelyaquestionofself-discipline,reality-control. Butintheendtherewon’tbeanyneedevenforthat. TheRevolutionwillbecompletewhenthelanguageisperfect. NewspeakisIngsocandIngsocisNewspeak,’headdedwithasortofmysticalsatisfaction. ‘Hasiteveroccurredtoyou,Winston,thatbytheyear2050,attheverylatest,notasinglehumanbeingwillbealive whocouldunderstandsuchaconversationaswearehavingnow?’ 

           ‘Except——’beganWinstondoubtfully,andhestopped. 

           Ithadbeenonthetipofhistonguetosay‘Excepttheproles,’buthecheckedhimself, notfeelingfullycertainthatthisremarkwasnotinsomewayunorthodox. Syme,however,haddivinedwhathewasabouttosay. 

           ‘Theprolesarenothumanbeings,’hesaidcarelessly. ‘By2050—earlier,probably—allrealknowledgeofOldspeakwillhavedisappeared. Thewholeliteratureofthepastwillhavebeendestroyed. Chaucer,Shakespeare,Milton,Byron—they’llexistonlyinNewspeakversions, notmerelychangedintosomethingdifferent,butactuallychangedintosomethingcontradictoryofwhattheyusedtobe. EventheliteratureofthePartywillchange. Eventhesloganswillchange.