GENERAL vs. SPECIFIC WORDS
• THE LADDER OF ABSTRACTION• LEVEL 1 – SPECIFIC, IDENTIFIABLE
NOUNS – AFRICAN VIOLET• LEVEL 2 – NOUN CATEGORIES, MORE
DEFINITE GROUPS – TEENAGERS• LEVEL 3 – NOUN CLASSES – PEOPLE• LEVEL 4 – ABSTRACT NOUNS - LOVE
Euphemism and Other Diction Euphemism and Other Diction issues – a general overview of issues – a general overview of
the power of words!the power of words!
Our changing language• Webster’s dictionary
200 years ago – 40,600 entries
• 1961 – 450,000 entries• College dictionary –
160,000• Estimated words in
English ½ -1 million • 15,000 – 50,000 active
words; 100,000 passive words
Things to consider…• Words from words• Robot—Fembot• Roots • Fer – to carry, bring,
bear• Confer, transfer,
refer….• Root creation • SPAM
• Acronyms• NASA• Committee to Re-
Elect the President• New Words• Chilax• Muffin top• geobragging
Know What I’m sayin’?• ‘’slanguistic sensei”• - izzle• Shortened
words/abbreviations• Euphemisms• “Awash in Euphemisms”
article discussion• Lexicowards…• http://www.huffingtonpost.
com/sophia-a-mcclennen/stephen-colbert-christmas_b_1161217.html
Things to consider…• Calvin: I like to verb words.Hobbes: What?Calvin: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when "access" was a thing? Now it's something you do. It got verbed. . . . Verbing weirds language.Hobbes: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding.
• Google noun and google verb
NEOLOGISMSAmerican Dialect Society
• 2000 – Chad• 2001 – 9/11• 2002 – WMD• 2003 – Metrosexual• 2004 – Red State• 2005 – Truthiness• 2006 – Plutoed• 2007 – Subprime• 2008 – Bailout• 2009 – Web 2.0• 2010 - Gaterape
NEWSPEAK• Three Levels of Vocabulary• A – Simple• C – Technical, scientific• B – Constructed to impose a
desirable mental attitude; compound words
EPONYM• Jezebel• Judas• Don Juan; Casanova• Cardigan• Cashmere• Malapropism• "We cannot let terrorists and
rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile."
• Morphine• Watergate - gate