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New words and phrases emerge as a direct response to the need to refer to new concepts,
and one of the most straightforward ways of
doing this is to simply combine existing words, which together make a sensible
representation of a new idea.
A related approach is to find new ways of using
recognised affixes, creatively attaching them to
established words as a means of expressing
a new idea
globesity = (a blend of global and obesity) describing the worldwide epidemic of obesity
For example, in the 1970s, the concept of a phone which could be carried or used anywhere without the need for wires or cables was just an idea,
but by the late 80s the word 'mobile phone' was part of everyday language.
other examples:
speed-dating
fast food
The verb/noun hoover, used as a generic term for (the action of using) an electric vacuum
cleaner, was based on the name of the 19th-century American industrialist William Henry Hoover.
Another example is the use of the
name Google.
e.g. 'Have you googled it yet?'
therefore it can now be used as a
generic reference to the action of
'doing a search on the Internet'.
Often abbreviations enter the dictionary as new 'words' in their own right, words which we understand and associate with particular concepts without necessarily knowing what the initial letters represent. For example DVD, everyone knows what it is but does everyone know what it stands for?
Acronyms such as:
T.A.R.D.I.S or B.O.G.O.F become meaningful units in their own right and therefore get decapitalised in general use.
As well as combinations of existing
words to form new compounds, the
combination of parts of existing words is another common process in the formation of neologisms.
NEOLOGISMS
The vast majority of new words
and expressions in English usually
include at least one lexical component
which is already familiar to us.
For instance the word brunch, referring to a large mid-morning meal, is a combination of parts of the words breakfast and lunch which was coined in the late 19th century.
Can you think of anymore?
Neologism is defined as a new word
or a new use for an old word,
or the act of making up new words.
globesity = ?
movieoke = ?
edutainment = ?
freegan = ?
These factors make abbreviated forms
an integral part of electronic
communication, but often these forms
creep into general use. For instance,
informal abbreviations such as LOL
(laughing out loud), TTFN ('ta ta' for now),
FYI (for your information) and
BTW (by the way) are now generally
understood in all forms of written
communication
(and sometimes spoken.)
Very few new words in the English
language are actually completely 'new'.
In fact, completely new words account
for less than 1% of all English
neologisms.
What language did
we borrow these
words from?
ballet
balcony
Words that habitually 'go together'
For example, in English, we usually say 'heavy rain'. It's correct grammatically to say 'strong rain' or 'big rain', but both of these sound completely strange. A native English speaker would never say 'big rain'.
ballet - French
balcony - Italian
sketch - Dutch
guitar - Spanish
sketch
guitar
bagel - Yiddish
pajamas - Hindi
bagel
pajamas
ketchup - Chinese
ketchup
PROCESS
lexical/semantic
Electronic communication such as
texting or instant messaging have had
a real influence as these forms of
communication often try to simulate real time conversation, so speed and ease of typing is crucial.
There may be other considerations too,
such as the fact that providers of mobile phone networks usually restrict users to about 160 characters per message or Tweet.
other examples -
Hard evidence
Fish and Chips
Salt and Pepper
PROCESS
semantic
REASONS:
why
WORD
REASONS:
reflection of changing attitudes towards sexuality
GAY
CONNOTATION
recent additions to meaning might be considered offensive
CONNOTATION
emotional/ psychological associations
Borrowing has been a feature of
English vocabulary development for
centuries. French, Latin and Greek are
obvious influences, but also Asian
languages such as Hindi, which for
instance in the 18th century gave us
shampoo (from the Hindi word
cmpo, meaning 'massage') and
is a popular influence in
the 21st century.
DENOTATION:
happy, bright or lively (adj)
homosexual (n)
rubbish (slang/adj)
DENOTATION:
dictionary definition
Choose
For example, the words
home and house have
similar denotations or primary
meanings: a home is “a shelter that
is the usual residence of a person,
family, or household,” and a house is
“a building in which people live.”
However, for many, these terms
carry different associations or secondary
meanings, also known as connotations.
Many people would agree that home
connotes a sense of belonging and
comfort, whereas house conveys
little more than a structure.
The connotation of a word
or phrase is the associated or
secondary meaning; it can be
something suggested or implied
by a word or thing, rather than
being explicitly named or described.
Lexis is a term in Linguistics for the vocabulary of a language.
Lexis is the total stock of words and idiomatic combinations of them in a language.
The denotation of a word or phrase
is its explicit or direct meaning.
Another way to think of it is as the
associations that a word usually
elicits for most speakers of a
language, like the main
dictionary definition of a word.