In linguistics, a neologism (, ; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has gained popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are one facet of lexical innovation, i.e., the linguistic process of new terms and meanings entering a language's lexicon. The most precise studies into language change and word formation, in fact, identify the process of a "neological continuum": a nonce word is any single-use term that may or may not grow in popularity; a protologism is such a term used exclusively within a small group; a prelogism is such a term that is gaining usage but is still not mainstream; and a neologism has become accepted or recognized by social institutions. Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology. Popular examples of neologisms can arise and be found in nearly all aspects of human life and culture, from science to technology, to the arts, to religion, to fiction (notably science fiction), to films, to television, to commercial branding, to literature, to jargon, to cant, to linguistics and to popular culture.
Examples Examples of neologisms are sorted by time.
19th century (and earlier) utopia (1516), from Ancient Greek οὐ (ou, 'no') and τόπος (tópos, 'place') typhoon (1588) from Chinese 台风 ('hurricane') compute (1631) from Latin com- ('with') and putare ('to think') origami (1880) from Japanese 折り紙 ('paper folding')
20th century (and later) robot (1921), from Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots); agitprop (1930), from Russian агитпроп, a portmanteau of агитация (agitatsija, 'agitation') and пропага́нда (propaganda, 'propaganda'). laser (1960), an acronym of "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation" ruguanxue (2019), from Chinese 入关学 (rùguānxué, 'breakthrough studies')
Background Neologisms are often formed by combining existing words (see compound noun and adjective) or by giving words new and unique suffixes or prefixes. Neologisms can also be formed by blending words, for example, "brunch" is a blend of the words "breakfast" and "lunch", or through abbreviation or acronym, by intentionally rhyming with existing words or simply through playing with sounds. A relatively rare form of neologism is when proper names are used as words (e.g., boycott, from Charles Boycott), including guy, dick, Chad, and Karen. Neologisms can become popular through memetics, through mass media, the Internet, and word of mouth, including academic discourse in many fields renowned for their use of distinctive jargon, and often become accepted parts of the language. Other times, they disappear from common use just as readily as they appeared. Whether a neologism continues as part of the language depends on many factors, probably the most important of which is acceptance by the public. It is unusual for a word to gain popularity if it does not clearly resemble other words.
History and meaning The term "neologism" is first attested in English in 1772, borrowed from the French "néologisme" (1734). The French word derives from the Greek νέο (neo), meaning "new", and λόγος (logos), meaning "speech, utterance". In an academic sense, there are no professional neologists, because the study of such things (e.g., of cultural or ethnic vernacular) is interdisciplinary. Anyone such as a lexicographer or an etymologist might study neologisms, how their uses span the scope of human expression, and how, due to science and technology, they now spread more rapidly than ever. The term "neologism" also has a broader meaning, of "a word which has gained a new meaning". Sometimes the latter process is called "semantic shifting" or "semantic extension". Neologisms are distinct from a person's idiolect, one's unique patterns of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Neologisms are usually introduced when a concept is lacking a term, or when an existing term lacks detail, or when a speaker is unaware of the existing term. The law, governmental bodies, and technology have a relatively high frequency of acquiring neologisms. Another motive for the coining of a neologism is to disambiguate a term that has multiple meanings.
Literature Neologisms may come from a word used in the narrative of fiction such as novels and short stories. Examples include "grok" (to intuitively understand) from the science fiction novel about a Martian entitled Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein; "McJob" (precarious, poorly-paid employment) from Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland; "cyberspace" (widespread, interconnected digital technology) from Neuromancer by William Gibson and "quark" (Slavic slang for "rubbish"; German for a type of dairy product) from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. The title of a book may become a neologism, for instance, Catch-22 (from the title of Joseph Heller's novel). Alternatively, the author's name may give rise to the neologism, although the term is sometimes based on only one work of that author. This includes such words as "Orwellian" (from George Orwell, referring to his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four) and "Kafkaesque" (from Franz Kafka). Names of famous characters are another source of literary neologisms. Some examples include: Quixotic, referring to a misguided romantic quest like that of the title character in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes; Scrooge, a pejorative for misers based on the avaricious main character in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol; and Pollyanna, referring to people who are unfailingly optimistic like the title character of Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
