While trying to decide what to write about today, I stumbled on words invented by writers. It makes sense that language -- all languages -- are invented, though language is an innate part of being human.
Dr. Seuss invented "nerd," in If I Ran the Zoo. Lewis Carroll created "chortle," a portmanteau of chuckle and snort. J.R.R. Tolkien invented "tween." He used it to describe hobbits between the ages of 20 and 33. Charles Dickens came up with "butterfingers" in The Pickwick Papers, (which I have not read).
William Shakespeare invented over 2,000 new words! Surprisingly, "bump" is one of them.
There have been a lot of new words appearing in my lifetime. Brainwashing, fast food, UFO, and moisturizer (!) all appeared in the 1950s. Many of the more recent new words have to do with technology, which makes sense. Text-messaging, channel-surfing, blog, binge-watching, among others.
Some new words die a quick death, though not always painless. When I was in 6th grade in a small town in Wisconsin, my class created a new word, "cinch-ky," meaning it's a cinch. As in, "we have to do ten pull-ups? Cinch-ky!" It was very popular among the 5th and 6th graders, but it drove our teacher batty. She banned it and threatened that anyone who said it would have their mouth washed out with soap. This was the early 1960s. Policing your own vocabulary can be hard, especially for 10 and 11-year-olds, and one of my classmates said it, not to be disrespectful or provocative. It just slipped out.
The teacher made everyone leave the classroom except for the unfortunate boy. And yes, she washed his mouth with soap and water. No one used the word again, so she achieved her goal. No teacher could get away with that today, of course, and rightly so.
And maybe that's why cinchky never made it into the English language.
The teacher in me is ondering what's going on with the rest of the class while the teacher dealt with the unfortunate boy. I'm glad we've moved beyond some of these practices.
ReplyDeletewondering - Ramona
DeleteI agree. No one should have their mouth washed out with soap for anything, let alone an inadvertent slip. I think the rest of us were all so cowed, we just stood together in the hall.
DeleteIt is always interesting to hear of the origin of new words. Some, as you mention, are quite surprising. arjeha
ReplyDeleteSome words make me say, "Where did this one come from?" I'll often look it up and I am usually surprised. Thanks for sharing some info about some old words.
ReplyDeleteI loved learning where several words came from. Language is amazing, but I was sad to hear the teacher washed the boy's mouth out with soap. It is amazing what teachers could do back in the day and get away with it. I really do not understand why the teacher would even care about cinch-ky. Seems rather harmless. SMH!
ReplyDeleteI agree! And as a by-product, that kind of group invention helps build relationships.
DeleteYour post is such fun to read, both for the words that became commonplace and the one that never made the grade—except for in your fifth, that is. (It's also interesting to think about mouthwash...I wonder where that came from?!)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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