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.  

Snowclones for summer entertainment

No, the word "snowclones" in the title is not a typo.  It is an invented word announced by linguist Geoffrey Pullum in Language Log to describe an observable language phenomenon.

Granted that eating a snow cone

on a blazing hot summer day may be a bit more fun than looking for examples of snowclones in modern communication,  I still think discovering snowclones is amusing.

The term "snowclone" was inspired by the mistaken notion that Eskimos have many more words for snow than other languages (I'll spare you the details). A less complicated example of a snowclone is "X is the new Y."  You are probably familiar with "Orange is the new black," or "50 is the new 40."

Snowclones are described as a kind of cliché that can be used as a template for new expressions, much like fill in the blank expressions.  Sometimes snowclones are described as a type of word play and other times less positively as the result of  lazy communication.

I learned about snowclones about a week ago through a text from my son, who knows I am a sucker for any new concept about language.  Sure enough, I have been able to identify three snowclones already.

The first is "Keep calm and carry on," the phrase used in Britain during WWII to inspire the British public.  I have seen numerous examples of the same phrase with a new ending, many dispensing advice.

Next, I recently read an article entitled,    "This is your brain on Jane Austen."  The original slogan, "This is your brain on drugs" originated during the 1987 Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

The use of the phrase to describe positive changes in the brain during focused reading of classic literature moves a negative experience into a positive one. 

And finally, have you noticed how the days of the week are now being designated for certain activities?  "Casual Fridays," the idea of dressing less formally at work once a week, is an example. And in my home town of El Paso, Texas, located on the border with Mexico, restaurants offer "Taco Tuesdays" with many varieties of this tasty snack for as little as $1.00  apiece.

I'll be trying to identify more snowclones in the future.  They are a great reminder that language is a creative process, ever-changing, and available for all of us to enjoy.  Let me know please if you make a snowclone discovery (or eat an awesome snow cone)!

Where do new words come from?

Do your ears perk up when you hear a new word?  Mine do.  I must admit to a fascination with creative uses of language. And the good news is that new words are coming into our language every day. I can stay well entertained by just listening to language used by many people in many different circumstances.

One source of new words is the use of eponyms, words that are based on a person's name or a place. A well known example is the word "sandwich" which originated with the Earl of Sandwich. (I believe the story goes that the Earl didn't want to quit the gaming table in order to eat, so he requested two pieces of bread with meat.) The word "sandwich" expanded from a proper noun into a common noun, written with a lower case letter.  It is now used for a wide variety of hand-held snacks involving bread and fillings.  The original noun has also become a verb, as in, "We sandwiched ourselves into the plane's tourist class section."

Another eponym that I find interesting is the word "guy," an informal word for a male, or nowadays., also an informal word for a group of males or males and females.  (Servers in several of our local restaurants refer to my husband and me as "you guys.")  The word "guy" derives from Guy Fawkes, a late 16th and 17th century conspirator in London, infamous for planning to blow up the British Parliament Building.  This event is commemorated yearly with bonfires and fireworks displays on Guy Fawkes day, November 5, which is coincidentally my birthday.  Thoughtful of the British Empire to plan a celebration for me!

An additional source of new words in English is the concept of "political correctness," also known as PC.  As changes occur in society, especially in regard to acceptance of differences in race, class, gender and sexual orientation, language changes as well. One of the newly created words is "herstory," which means that the history will be told from a feminist viewpoint.  Patricia T. O'Conner in Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconception of the English Language explains that "herstory" isn't one of her favorite words, but she believes it is here to stay in our lexicon. She proves that the "his" in "history" is not the pronoun that refers to male beings, but that "history" come from a Latin word meaning "narrative." Her preference is for "history" to include information about both males and females.

There has been some backlash concerning the effects of political correctness on free speech.  Urban dictionary provides some PC circumlocutions used to avoid offending anyone.  Here are a few of the more amusing:

dishonest - ethically disoriented

wrong - differently logical

fired - laid off

tall - person of height

I remember feeling pressure in a university environment to use "Winter Break" instead of "Christmas."

The decision to adopt, ignore, or condemn the many new words that come into our language is certainly an individual decision.  But I sort of like to think of myself as "weight challenged" rather than "fat" when I step on those unforgiving scales in the mornings!

How do you make "correct" grammar decisions?

Somewhere inside most of us, there is probably a small, nagging doubt from time to time about how to use "correct" grammar when we use our native language.

If only speaking and writing correctly were as simple as memorizing a set of rules and sticking to them religiously.

Wow!  That's a lot of rules to learn!

One of the main reasons why slavishly following a set of rules won't work is that languages are constantly evolving.  Word definitions, pronunciations, and grammar all may change as a language is used constantly by its speakers.

Let's check your opinions on some common grammar doubts discussed in Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language by Patricia T. O' Conner and Stewart Kellerman. Do you find any of the sentences below objectionable?  If so, why?  (You may want to consider if the sentence is being used in speaking or writing also.)


I don't know all the rules of English.

Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should.

The thief snuck into the house.

Michael Phelps dove into the water.

He was the one that helped me with English.

Bill Gates is richer than me.

The queen has woken from her slumber.

Every senior thinks they know it all.

.

Did your inner grammar police nab any sentences as being "incorrect"?






What you may be perplexed to learn is that the authors of Origins do not give a yes/no definitive solution for any of the above grammar doubts.  They state that some sentences are permissible in speaking but not in writing, some are permitted by some style manuals and dictionaries but not others, and some may be generational decisions, The only form I found as being forbidden was poor old misunderstood "ain't". (There is a book out by David Skinner with the title The Story of Ain't:  America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Every Published. )

The decision about which English forms constitute "correct"  English is made by "We, the People". And often the decision is a personal one.  My guide to using "correct"grammar is what I hear on National Public Radio.  But occasionally a Texas "y'all" sneaks into my language as exactly the right thing to say to express myself well.

'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?

Will you be making merry on New Year's Eve?

Charming! was my first thought as I read about New Year's celebrations in El Paso (my home town) in 1913.  Yes, that would be exactly a century ago.  I was reading "Viva 1914", a "Tales From the Morgue" article in the El Paso Times for December 29, 2013 by Trish Long.

The direct quotations from the 100 year old article drew me back for a second reading. Why was I so fascinated?  It was the language used in writing the 1914 article, of course! We all know that changes in language are inevitable, whether we approve of those changes or not.  And change in language is usually not abrupt.  It sneaks up on us until,  one day, we realize that certain words or expressions or grammatical constructions are beginning to sound (as my 28 year old son frequently reminds me), old-fashioned, passé, so last century.

Here are some of the expressions from the 1913 article that I would judge as more typical of 1913 than 2013.  See if you would agree.

"Young and Old Make Merry..."   "The streets were thronged with merrymakers."   I don't think we do much making merry these days.  I would say that we had fun or had a great time. Some people might say that they had a blast (already out of date?). But a quick glance at a thesaurus reminds me that there are lots more interesting synonyms for making merry  (http://thesaurus.com/browse/make+merry).  You can paint the town, raise hell, make whoopee, live it up, let loose, kick up one's heels, or have a ball.  But even those expressions sound a little worn.  What do young people say these days, I wonder?  It isn't 'make merry' for sure!

"It was a merry old night for El Paso, everybody being gay..."  As everyone is aware these days, the word 'gay' has made a semantic shift so that the original meaning of 'happy' is now considered secondary to the primary meaning of 'homosexual'.

"The police bothered but few merrymakers last night.  Those who became rowdy or rough were summarily 'pinched' and sent to jail..."  The word 'pinched' was in single quotes in the original article, so it must have been considered slang in 1913.  A modern day slang meaning for 'pinched' is 'steal'.  

Now this next expression I love.  "Up in the ballroom the merry dancers tripped the light fantastic..."  Would modern day dances be described in such fanciful terms? I can't quite get a picture of that.

The article "Viva 2014" delighted me in other ways than the chance to do a little linguistic analysis. Life in January 1914 in El Paso felt so innocent and so hopeful.  What a contrast to present day articles about New Year's celebrations that urge restraint in eating and drinking and stress safety as the main concern. I would love to have joined my fellow El Pasoans of a century ago in ringing in the New Year.  But since I can't...