I just re-realized something..
Dec. 8th, 2003 11:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
All those once-cool slang words, like phat, rad, groovy, bees knees... somebody made them up. Somebody came up with this word they wanted to use to mean... well, in this case, cool.
But seriously. Linguistic change happens because individuals, not groups, use certain words in certain ways. Eventually, an individual quirk is picked up by a larger group... and it might even spread throughout the entire language, like "cool" did.
I COULD CHANGE THE FACE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
I really could. Just by using words in a set way. I'm already making a tiny impact in the virtual world... I know people other than myself who say *gigglesnorts* online, though I don't know if they do that when not on NC.
But what if I could make a larger difference? What if I could, say, start using thee and thou again? Youse and y'all aren't used much outside of certain regions... but thee and thou, those are universal, if somewhat obsolete.
Or what if I could invent a gender inclusive third person pronoun that people actually use? Not by promoting it, just by using it? Heck, I could go even more exotic... proximate and obviate pronouns! (Basically, the obviate third person is like a FOURTH person... "He kissed his wife", if "his" is the 4th person singular, you know he kissed somebody else's wife, not his own) Or inclusive/exclusive we! (Inclusive: me and you. Exclusive: me and somebody else, not you).
Yeah... okay, I'm getting a little hyper here. So I'll restrict myself to a few smaller goals, which I've already started using in my own speech and writing:
1. *gigglesnorts*
2. "Mihi" and "tibi" instead of "to me" and "to you" ("it seems loud mihi" instead of "it seems loud to me")
I'll make a deal. You post your words-to-be-popularized, and if I like them, I'll try to use them. And vice versa, of course.
(edit) I realized something else, just now! Other people say "bedgoing" (and variants). I mostly just say that on aim, to be sure, in real life I strive to say "going to bed" so as to not appear ignorant, but I use it often on aim... and I know I've seen other people do that as well. I'm also fairly certain that these people did not do that until I started doing that. I'm just too cool :)
But seriously. Linguistic change happens because individuals, not groups, use certain words in certain ways. Eventually, an individual quirk is picked up by a larger group... and it might even spread throughout the entire language, like "cool" did.
I COULD CHANGE THE FACE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
I really could. Just by using words in a set way. I'm already making a tiny impact in the virtual world... I know people other than myself who say *gigglesnorts* online, though I don't know if they do that when not on NC.
But what if I could make a larger difference? What if I could, say, start using thee and thou again? Youse and y'all aren't used much outside of certain regions... but thee and thou, those are universal, if somewhat obsolete.
Or what if I could invent a gender inclusive third person pronoun that people actually use? Not by promoting it, just by using it? Heck, I could go even more exotic... proximate and obviate pronouns! (Basically, the obviate third person is like a FOURTH person... "He kissed his wife", if "his" is the 4th person singular, you know he kissed somebody else's wife, not his own) Or inclusive/exclusive we! (Inclusive: me and you. Exclusive: me and somebody else, not you).
Yeah... okay, I'm getting a little hyper here. So I'll restrict myself to a few smaller goals, which I've already started using in my own speech and writing:
1. *gigglesnorts*
2. "Mihi" and "tibi" instead of "to me" and "to you" ("it seems loud mihi" instead of "it seems loud to me")
I'll make a deal. You post your words-to-be-popularized, and if I like them, I'll try to use them. And vice versa, of course.
(edit) I realized something else, just now! Other people say "bedgoing" (and variants). I mostly just say that on aim, to be sure, in real life I strive to say "going to bed" so as to not appear ignorant, but I use it often on aim... and I know I've seen other people do that as well. I'm also fairly certain that these people did not do that until I started doing that. I'm just too cool :)
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no subject
Date: 2003-12-09 07:53 pm (UTC)Well, back to the original topics...heeheehee...
I'd love to have a non-gender pronoun for a singular person since "it" conveys a sense of dehumanization, and it's awkward to say "he/she" all the time. I also occasionally use "thee", "thou", and "thy" a bit, though not formally. Usually it's more of a semiformal joking tone, so I'm one of those few not confused by them.
I continually come up with words or variations of them. Sometimes I see them crop up elsewhere and make me wonder if I'm not so original after all. "Confuzzled" is MINE dangit! :-p
Some of my words (or re-issues of them) include:
pudd - a guy who thinks he's all that (and may lead others into thinking he's great) but who's actually a clueless jerk. (puddess - feminine)
bo - handsome/cute/good-looking (male)
beau - a bo guy, or someone's love
belle - feminine form of both beau and bo
jennet - (yes, as in the "other" mix than produces a mule, also sometimes used for female donkey instead of "jenny") a clueless stubborn female, a dim version of a bitch
dinkle dork - a n00b
razz - to poke fun at or joke with someone
spatchcock (look this one up in a dictionary if you wish) - I personally use this in general for something that looks horrible but tastes delicious
aigh! - an exclamation of unpleasant surprise, despair, or general displeasure with the outcome of one's situations
schritt - shorten that one to a more familiar 4-letter word often used in the phrase "aigh, schritt!"
concrookerous - (stonlen from my husband) crooked and twisted...all fuckered up
"too much time to think" - when left with your own thoughts after something bothers you, more issues and emotions arise than the original situation produced...to dwell on something in an unhealthy way
Occasionally I steal clippets of words and phrases I remember from Spanish class. I often use "conmigo" and "contigo": "with me" and "with you".
(Oh, there's a goodie for you in the mail. When it arrives, you may either open it or wait until Christmas, whichever you prefer.)