ne·ol·o·gism /niˈɒləˌdʒɪzəm/ Show Spelled[nee-ol-uh-jiz-uhm] –noun
1. a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.
2. the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.
3. a new doctrine, esp. a new interpretation of sacred writings.
4. Psychiatry . a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.
1. a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.
2. the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.
3. a new doctrine, esp. a new interpretation of sacred writings.
4. Psychiatry . a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.
Do you believe that the current lexincon of words in the English language, as collected and defined in our dictionaries, is large enough to meet all of our written and spoken needs?
Or do you believe that our language is always evolving, keeping pace with our culture, and so as new cultural ideas present themselves, so must new words to describe them? Consider the following example, taken from the website WORD SPY:
Word: farmscraper
n. A high-rise building used for growing crops. [Blend of farm and skyscraper.]
Example Citation:
Other growth areas include vertical farming, in which lack of space means crops are cultivated in urban high-rises or 'farmscrapers'.
—Fiona MacCrae, 'Aim for the stars and train to be a space architect," Daily mail, January 14, 2010
Some might argue that the English language must continue to grow in breadth to accomodate changes that couldn't have been envisioned when dictionaries first took on the monumental task of collecting our every word. If you look to the above example, that seems like a reasonable argument. 300 years ago, no one needed the word farmscraper because there were no skyscrapers to farm on top of! That word could not have been created until a need for it was presented.
The flip side of this argument is that many of the new words that are being created are just jargon, created to accomodate passing trends - especially those which are technology-based. As techonologies come and go, they often take their words with them. Consider the Betamax: the now obsolete forerunner to the VHS (which is itself nearly obsolete) disappeared as new technology was ushered in to replace it. I haven't met a person under the age of 20 who knows what that word is, let alone the technology it represented. In cases like that, it becomes easier to understand why some folks believe that neologism is best left to, and should only be taken as seriously as, the schizophrenics whose speech are so often peppered with newly coined terms.
No matter which side of the fence you fall on in the debate, though, you should check out WORD SPY, a site that diligently collects and defines the new (and often puzzling) words sneaking into our vocabulary. Whatever your stance, you are bound to find the site entertaining and informative.
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