Neologism

In linguistics, a neologism (/niˈɒləˌdʒɪzəm/; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is accepted into mainstream language.[1] Most definitively, a word can be considered a neologism once it is published in a dictionary.[2]

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 still not mainstream; and a neologism has become accepted or recognized by social institutions.[3][4]

Neologisms are often driven by changes in culture and technology.[5][6] Popular examples of neologisms can be found in science, technology, fiction (notably science fiction), films and television, commercial branding, literature, jargon, cant, linguistics, the visual arts, and popular culture.[citation needed]

Examples of words that were 20th-century neologisms include laser (1960), an acronym of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; robot (1921) from Czech writer Karel Čapek's play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots);[7] and agitprop (1930; a portmanteau of Russian "agitatsiya" (agitation) and "propaganda").[8]

  1. ^ Anderson, James M. (2006). Malmkjær, Kirsten (ed.). The Linguistics Encyclopedia. London: Routledge. p. 601. ISBN 0-203-43286-X.
  2. ^ Simatupang, E. C. M.; Heryono, H. (2022). "New-word formation and social disruption on metaverse". English Review: Journal of English Education. 10 (3): 1019. doi:10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6722.
  3. ^ Gryniuk, D (2015). On Institutionalization and De-Institutionalization of Late 1990s Neologisms. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 150. This process [of lexicalization] does not seem to be coincidental because neologisms themselves are prone to go through certain stages of transformation. They began as unstable creations (otherwise called prelogisms), that is, they are extremely new, being proposed, or being used only by a small subculture
  4. ^ Anesa, Patrizia (2018). "Three, 3". Lexical Innovation in World Englishes: Cross-fertilization and Evolving Paradigms. Routledge.
  5. ^ McDonald, L. J. (2004). The meaning of e- : neologisms as markers of culture and technology.
  6. ^ Forgue, Guy (1978). "American Neologisms as a Reflection of Cultural Change since 1945". Proceedings of a Symposium on American Literature: 199–211.
  7. ^ Zunt, Dominik. "Who did actually invent the word "robot" and what does it mean?". Karel Čapek. Archived from the original on 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  8. ^ "agitprop". Britannica. 2002.