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OP I've fully succumbed to my inclination to make up words as I see fit. I know enough Greek and Latin roots to engineer a completely logical word when I can't think of the appropriate terminology.
I guess my question is:
Is this "literary license" proper?
I guess there isn't an established code of conduct concerning use of the English language. The government doesn't require toddlers to sign waivers as they utter their first words. There aren't uniformed agents that jail chronic offenders. But I like to think that we philologists and bibliophiles follow sets of invisible, unwritten rules to remain as coherent as possible. Just my two drachmai.
of course you can make up words..
whether they catch on, and join the lexis, is something else..
In our family kids don't scribble-scrabble (oops that should be in tsuwm thread on sing song words) they make toy script.
this confused my daughters boyfriend.. he knew my son was a programmer and know some of his perl scripts (shareware that my son has posted) when i spoke of toy script, he wonder for a moment if my granddaughter was some sort of genius.. and writing script already.
eventually he realized 'script' =cursive writing
i think toy script is a great name for the attempts at writing that kids do.. but the rest of the world has failed to see the wisdom of my term.
anyone can make up a word.. its getting the rest of the world to use your word that is the hard part. (oh, and your teachers might red line the word, too)
Is this "literary license" proper?
It's not such a "terrible habit" if everyone thinks you're an enfant terrible, AnimiaL.
Consider this: an enfant terrible and a neologism both have a flip side which alternates between the sublime and the ridiculous [depending on your point of view]:
According to Merriam-Webster, an "enfant terrible" is:
a person known for shocking remarks or outrageous behavior, or
a usually young and successful person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, or avant-garde .
And a "neologism" is:
a new word, usage, or expression or
a meaningless word coined by a psychotic.
Is a neologism "proper"? That might depend more on who coins it, than the coinage itself, AnimiaL.
But, with your quick wit and your greek and latin tool box, there is a quicker path to riches for you, I think. Instead of creating words, why not create names? Corporate names.
That's where the real coinage is. :)
Top ten things to look for in a naming company:
http://www.ahundredmonkeys.com/ten-things-naming-company.htm
Some name branding agencies bill $75,000 - $150,000 to create a single name for a top company, and sometimes a lot more.
Does that sound like proper coinage to you, AnimiaL? :)
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