Clockwork Orange language: Nadsat

The language in this book is quite difficult to understand. Filled with words such as droogs, devotchka, groodies, veck, it was quite frustrating having to guess the meaning of these words at the beginning, however i could understand what most meant by the end of the book. The narrater (Alex) uses a youth slang called Nadsat. It is the language used by the violent youth gangs of the city. Anthony Burgess wrote the entire book using this fictional slang. By writing the book in an unfamiliar language he alienates the readers and gives them the feeling that this society where the story takes place is truely different from ours. The language also seems to desensitize the readers to the violence that is taking place. The gruesome deeds of Alex and his gang all seem less gruesome when described in Nadsat language, but when you think over what they've done, their merciles violence against civilians is truely shocking.