More New Words for Old Ideas

Last January I published a blog post about new words that are being used to express old meanings.  That post received a high number of hits, so for the last several months, I have been on the lookout for more signs of creativity in language.  My husband, Wayne, who has a keen ear for colorful language, is in on the game. 

Recently Wayne returned from an annual meeting of the American Chuck Wagon Association, held in Fredericksburg, Texas.  He shared with me that he received an unusual compliment for his biscuits served from a chuck wagon.  (Not that a compliment was unusual, but the words used were!)  Someone told him, "Your biscuits are the bomb." 

Wayne was taken aback for a few moments until he realized that his biscuits had just received a rating of awesome, phenomenal, the best. Because the word "bomb" is usually associated with unpleasant events, using it with the opposite meaning makes it stand out.  I am reminded of how the word "bad" has taken on the meaning of "very good" in recent years.  

Newspaper comics are a constant source of innovative language use.  One of my favorite cartoon characters is the teenage boy, Jeremy,  in "Zits". 

Jeremy shows his friend, Pierce, a pop-up ad about himself advertising that he is, among other things, a "totally woke dude."   "Woke" has taken on a non-literal meaning of being socially aware, knowing what's happening.  The new use originated in African American Vernacular English and was first used by teenagers in Internet slang.  We older folks might say someone is really "with it."  (Oh, how our use of slang terms dates us!) 

Another source of creative language terms is National Public Radio (NPR).  If NPR uses a term, I feel confident that the term has reached a mainstream audience.  "Thirst Trap" is one such expression.  As I understand it, it is a message that seeks to get attention, such as a provocative picture or a flirtatious message on social media.  Another term is "Cringe Factor,"  which is self-explanatory:  something that provokes a negative physical response, such as flinching. 

I need help from readers on the next term.  Several times while watching detective shows, I have heard the main inspector inquiring of colleagues something like, "What's the joy on the new case?"  Am I hearing that correctly?  Is "joy" being used for "new information"?  

The next example of descriptive language use comes from one of my husband's friends.  A group of men were discussing issues in their chuck wagon organization, specifically newcomers who had little knowledge but wanted rapid change.  One group member described them as "attacking with a rubber tomahawk perspective."     Isn't it amazing what we humans can create with language?

Often we resist language change, claiming that new words and expressions are a sign of moral and intellectual decay. We humans do hate any kind of change in our lives, don't we? But I would like to make the case that language change is a natural phenomenon, but we do have the power of decision over our own language use.  I for one find language innovation fascinating.  I may not choose to use all of the new language that I hear if it doesn't fit my personality or life style, but, yes, it does bring a big smile to my face.  

New words for old ideas

One of the joys of being a language nerd is the chance to observe how language is ever changing.  I am seldom bored as long as I have some bit of language to analyze, whether it be a random conversation in the Walmart checkout line or a phone conversation with our thirty-something Californian family members.

Price Point

Home and Garden Television (HGTV) provides lots of opportunities to listen to real people speaking real language.  A term I hear constantly on "House Hunters" is "price point."  The agent assures the eager couple that he can find them a house at their "price point."  Why not say "at your price"?  It is  fun to speculate why speakers begin to use a new term.  What does "price point" provide that good old simple "price" does not?  Is it our aversion to discussing finances that makes us want to bury the reference to money in an expression?

Skill Set

Another term that has turned a word into an expression is "skill set."  Why not just "skill"?  "I don't have the skill needed to turn on Netflix on my new television."  Is it perhaps that modern life has become so complicated that it now takes a set of skills rather than a single skill to survive?  Having just gone through several days of breaking in a new remote controller for our television, I do wish my technology skill set was larger!

Issues

I was teaching a college course in English Linguistics several years ago when I a student told me she was having  "issues" with an assignment. Was she having problems, I wondered? The Merriam Webster Dictionary gives multiple definitions for "issue," the closest one to the idea of a problem being "a point of debate or controversy." "Issue " is used so frequently nowadays that I use it myself. Did we all get tired of talking about problems?  Does the word "problem" have such a negative connotation that we are trying to soften it with a more neutral word?

Reach Out

Our travel agent recently volunteered to "reach out" to the airlines to find us air transportation to Europe this summer.  What happened to contacting people and companies?  Has the word "contact" become too formal?  "Reaching out" to someone does sound more friendly, I must admit.  But it is still a bit too modern for my vocabulary, and I would feel uncomfortable using it.

Optics

I saved the best for last — "optics."  "Don't let the elderly politician appear with his young blond curvy girlfriend.  The optics would be bad."  I like the new use of this word.  Optics used to mean a science that deals with the nature and properties of light.  Now it can mean "appearance" or "perception."  What a leap the word has taken!  Instead of remarking, "That wouldn't look right," we can now say "Bad optics."

Ah, language.

Language is going to evolve in spite of our efforts to put the brakes on.  How about relaxing and enjoying the ride?  Dare I suggest that we all "chill" about language change?

'Well,' 'like,' 'actually,' 'go ahead' and use them?

Do new words or experiences catch your attention?  They do mine.  And then I have choices to make.  I can (a) go on a rampage about how English is going to the dogs (b) slip the new expressions into my conversations so I can sound cool or (c) analyze the use of new terms to learn more about why people are choosing them.  I'm going with (c)!

Let's take the word 'well'. 'Well' can be an adverb, as in "My computer has been running well lately," or an adjective, as in "I'm feeling well since I started exercising," But lately, 'well' has been cropping up with what appears to be a new use.  Maybe someone asks you, "How was dinner at the bistro last night?"  You reply, "It was, well, interesting." Try saying that last sentence without the 'well.' Different, huh? The insertion of 'well' adds meaning to the sentence. The speaker has now given the impression that there is a whole lot more to the tale of the bistro dinner.

Now that you are warming up to the idea of new ways of expression, let's work on 'like.'  Talk about ubiquitous!  It would be hard to go through a whole day without hearing 'like' in one of its reincarnations. One of the most common uses is to introduce a direct quotation.  And then the store clerk was like, "So don't shop here if you don't like the service."  Does the substitution of 'was' and 'like' in place of 'said' add meaning to the sentence?  I think it does.  The more traditional 'said' would not alert the listener that something a little surprising, off-beat, or unexpected was about to be reported. And then the store clerk was like, "Here is your package, ma'am," would not be as common, I think.  'Like' and its rapid spread through verbal communication is a topic that requires much discussion.  Here is a link if you would like (old common usage!) to learn more.Like, Degrading the Language? No Way.

And then there is 'actually.'  I hear this word often on the local nightly news on TV. "I'm standing about 500 yards from the train station, and I can actually see the derailment." I think the adverb 'actually' adds the idea of "Can you believe that I am this far from the train station, but I can still see the derailment?"  That's a lot of meaning to pack into one little word.

Another new expression that has caught my ear is the use of 'go ahead and' before another action verb. A TV cooking show host may say, "And then go ahead and put the dish in the fridge for several hours."  Now this expression has me a bit puzzled.  I don't see how 'go ahead and' adds meaning or nuance to the sentence. Try "And then put the dish in the fridge..."  What's more, the expression adds length to the sentence, which would seem the opposite of what we want to do in this fast and furious world we live in.  I'll have to keep an ear out for more examples.

Language.  Always on the move.  Have you heard any new words or expressions recently?  What is your opinion of them?

New words. Do you love them or hate them?

When you hear a new word in your language, do you have a reaction? Are you intrigued or offended by additions to language? Several readers of last week's blog chose the origin of words as an interesting subject, so this week I'll explore the topic of new words. (For language nerds, 'neologism' is the technical term for a new word.)    

What is a word really?  Although the definition of the word 'word' seems like a no-brainer, it is not a clear cut concept. We can visualize a written word in our minds, with the letters close together and a space before and after.  But in spoken language, words are often not separated by pauses.  If you have studied a foreign language, you may have experienced frustration because the oral stream of language is not neatly marked. How did I know, for instance, that in French 'Comma ta lei vu' (sic) was really 'Comment allez-vous?"  

Small children just learning their first language have a similar problem.  "Let's go bye-bye" probably sounds like one big word to them. As a matter of fact, in Swahili, the romantic sentence "I will love you" is 'nitakupenda', with a whole English phrase appearing as a word (to us, at least) in that language.

But we all have a working definition of 'word' at least. (We'll leave it to  linguists to provide an iron clad definition.) What is of more interest to me is the effect that new words have on speakers of that language.  I myself am delighted by new words.  It's a challenge to figure out how the word was formed.  Then it's intriguing to follow a new word to see if it is being widely used and by whom.

Take the new word 'selfie'.  It was named as the 2013 Word of the Year by the publishers of Oxford English Dictionary.  Click below for definition and more information about 'selfie'.  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/word-of-the-year-2013_n_4296009.html

'Selfie' was formed by adding the suffix -ie to 'self''.  It sounds familiar, like 'hippie' and 'yuppie'.   Since I first became aware of  'selfie', I have heard it numerous times on  radio and TV.  I haven't encountered it yet in personal conversation, probably because my friends and acquaintances (myself included) are still trying to figure out how to take any type of picture using these new-fangled devices.  The Pope appearing recently in a 'selfie' probably did much to promote the new word.  I  recently heard a talk show host make a joke that people were now talking about 'ussies', cell phone pictures of more than one person.  

Do you see 'selfie' and similar new words adding to the richness of the language or depleting it?  I would love to hear your opinions on this important matter!