Neologist is a person who creates new word. We are all neologists. May be accidental neologists. We always add suffixes like ism to someone’s name and become neologists.
New words need not be public and/or popular. We create new words at home, at work place, and among our friends. It includes all the languages in the world. All babies are natural born neologists. When we talk to babies, new words known only to them come out constantly. And, we love them and those words stay permanently. A child we know called “medicine” as “badhadha”. That child has grown up now. Even today, within his family, “badhadha” means “medicine”.
See how many neologists among us bloggers! Look at their blog names. I would even consider extension of a name is also coming under neologism. Guria is a neologist for coming up with the name Nehatrix Blogstrange. I am also a neologist for coming up with the name Insigniacharya.
I am in favor of neology. It is one of the ways vocabulary in a language will grow. Even adopting a foreign word is also most desirable. For example, even in Tamil, a spoon is a spoon. A bus is a bus (and very rarely people call it “peyrundhu”).
This is very much true for technical and scientific words. We should adopt them into our language as it is and not try to translate. When someone said “madi kanini”, it took me several days and several inquiries to find out it is the Tamil translation for “laptop”.
If an individual uses a new word and it is adopted by several people, it will be included in the dictionary. Rachael Ray (famous chef) coined the phrase EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and it has been included in the dictionary now.
U.S. Presidents are famous for being neologists. Jefferson is known for creating the words “lengthily” and “belittle”. Theodore Roosevelt is known for “lunatic fringe”. And, our own George W. Bush created “misunderestimate” and “embetterment”. Even former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle is a sort of neologist. When he was visiting a sixth grade class, he asked a student to spell "potato". The student spelled it correctly. But the Vice President insisted on adding an "e" at the end (potatoe).
Are you a neologist? Then say something. Do you have any words that are popularly used within your family or friends circle? Please share with us.
New words need not be public and/or popular. We create new words at home, at work place, and among our friends. It includes all the languages in the world. All babies are natural born neologists. When we talk to babies, new words known only to them come out constantly. And, we love them and those words stay permanently. A child we know called “medicine” as “badhadha”. That child has grown up now. Even today, within his family, “badhadha” means “medicine”.
See how many neologists among us bloggers! Look at their blog names. I would even consider extension of a name is also coming under neologism. Guria is a neologist for coming up with the name Nehatrix Blogstrange. I am also a neologist for coming up with the name Insigniacharya.
I am in favor of neology. It is one of the ways vocabulary in a language will grow. Even adopting a foreign word is also most desirable. For example, even in Tamil, a spoon is a spoon. A bus is a bus (and very rarely people call it “peyrundhu”).
This is very much true for technical and scientific words. We should adopt them into our language as it is and not try to translate. When someone said “madi kanini”, it took me several days and several inquiries to find out it is the Tamil translation for “laptop”.
If an individual uses a new word and it is adopted by several people, it will be included in the dictionary. Rachael Ray (famous chef) coined the phrase EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and it has been included in the dictionary now.
U.S. Presidents are famous for being neologists. Jefferson is known for creating the words “lengthily” and “belittle”. Theodore Roosevelt is known for “lunatic fringe”. And, our own George W. Bush created “misunderestimate” and “embetterment”. Even former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle is a sort of neologist. When he was visiting a sixth grade class, he asked a student to spell "potato". The student spelled it correctly. But the Vice President insisted on adding an "e" at the end (potatoe).
Are you a neologist? Then say something. Do you have any words that are popularly used within your family or friends circle? Please share with us. 
Some other terms that we use are fantabulous, funtertainment, slurpilicious. Interesting post.
ReplyDeletenice :D loved GW Bush's newly coined terms...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, I started calling my dad's sister's husband Nana and now he is Nana for everyone in the family :D.
hahahaha..great post SG..
ReplyDeletebtw, Nehatrix Blogstange name was given to me by two people actually.. Nehatrix by Shrikant and Blogstrange by Anand..Shrikant you will still see around once in a while; but Anand has not blogged for quite some time :)
Neologist - I am one for sure..but the words that I have created; either you won't understand as they are Hindi slang of which English translation is very difficult or they are abbreviations; full form of which I cannot reveal :D
loved this post :)
Thanks for your comments Rajlakshmi. I like your examples, especially "funtertainment".
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Titaxy. Anything associated with GWBush is comedy. Once he said "he is the President 24/7". People like Jay Leno explained this as "yes, 24 hours a week and 7 months a year".
ReplyDeletePlease convey my regards to your dad and athimbare Nana.
Thanks for your comments Neha. As I said Neology can be in any language.
ReplyDeleteI will add you, Shrikant, and Anand in the "distinguished neologists" list.
A nephew refered to Gulab Jamun as Gobble Jaw and it has stayed that way to date.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Radha. I will add your nephew's name to that "Distinguished Neologists" list.
ReplyDeleteHey, I am back. let us see if I stay longer this time and create something "new", positively "new" :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Numerounity. Where have you been all these days? Looking forward to read your "new" creations.
ReplyDeleteEfoo --- Is a greeting , this is only between my son and me.
ReplyDeleteIthru-- Meaning what?
I don't what language is that. but we understand it.:)
As kids we are unabashed neologists isn't it? I have nicknamed nearly every close family member & even now the said name stays! I loved your topic. Never knew there was a name to it.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post SG.
ReplyDeleteI don't exactly remember any such words in my family.
Bhavesh
Interesting...my cousin's 3 year old son showed me his father's new 'comepleter' and now my computer is always 'completer' here at home!
ReplyDeleteThaththish maamaa thiggeth vaanga poyirukkaa - my son's dialogue when he was 2 years old! Satish, my cousin, was in the airforce and used to come home on week ends...for my son my cousin goes to buy cigarette this week and comes back next week!
Thanks for your comments Chitra. Efoo. Thast is so cute.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Lostworld. You have given a nickname to all your close family members? That makes you a "Super Neologist".
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Bhavesh. May be not yet. But something might be invented in the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Sandhya. Completer and Thiggeth are so cute.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, when she started talking, called my husband appakka....that hasn't changed to date. Though several people have tried to "correct" her, she insists that he is her appakka, much to hubby's delight.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Jayashree. Your daughter also is in the "Distinguished Neologis" list. The word appakka is so cute.
ReplyDeletethis post is enlightening, in the sense that strangely i never actually came across the word neologist. and i have been coining words all the while, especially while branding restaurants, course names etc. i suppose names of babies that emerge as an amalgamation of their parents names fall in the same category, right?
ReplyDeleteso i am starting to follow your blog right away for further dope ;)
Thanks for your comments Anuradha. And, welcome to my blog.
ReplyDeleteOK, you are also eliglble to be on the distinguished list of Neologists. Yes, names of babies will also fall into this category.
Anuradha, please visit here as often as you can. Thanks.