New words

As discussed in the thread "Moving to UK", the dictionaries are no longer
upholders of the language but merely record its decline and fall.
If enough people use a neologism it will be recorded.

May I suggest that UKRM attempts to enter a new word into the OED?

"Ginge" would be a good candidate as a noun and intransitive verb.
It was invented here and is in common usage only here.

Spread the word!

 

Just **** off. OK?

 

When you two bedwetters have quite finished masturbating your book
willies...

 

Dictionaries have never been 'upholders' of the language and are always
merely reflective of the language. It is well documented that a number of
people through time have clung to the hope that a dictionary can be
"prescriptive" rather than "descriptive" but this has never been the case.

If it was, all of the UK would spell 'recognise" with a "z", as that is how
the OED prescribes it, (and as it has done since the first edition.)
Likewise we would use the word "cherries" for both singular and plural
("cherry" has no legitmacy etymologically speaking, as the word derives from
'cerise'.) Nor would we use the word "pea" for that matter, the original
word is "pease" which is both singular and plural.

The expression "the Queen's (or King's English") is a fairly meaningless
one - the English language has always evolved. I'm surprised you are not
bemoaning the usage of the terms "aubergine" and "mange tout" instead of
using the proper "King's English" terms "eggplant" and "snow pea" (which
only passed out of common usage in the late 19th century and both terms
remain in the rest of the English-speaking world).

Even during the Victorian era, considerable language evolution occurred with
the onset of the Industrial Revolution and the tremendous scientific
advances of the time. The language of "Educated England" by the end of the
19th century was markedly different to at the beginning, and that was before
the era of mass communication. The (in my opinion appalling) affectation of
combining the indefinite article "an" with words beginning with a voiced 'H"
(eg - an historic event, an hypothesis) occurred towards the end of that
century as well, and still persists among the pretentious (but
etymologically ignorant) to this day. (The origins of this error are quite
amusing, but lengthy).

A question - When does a neologism stop being a neologism?

Are words like "Smog", "Weekend", 'mini-skirt" and 'gadget" still
neologisms? (All are of British origin)
Are words like "placate", "transpire" and "scientist" still neologisms? (All
are of American origin)

Finally, what about nouns that are backformed into verbs, a common British
criticism of Americans, yet it is a practice that was created by English
writers. (Interestingly, a common example of an Americanism "to progress",
was actually due to Shakespeare and used as a verb in King John (Act V,
Scene ii) ('That silverly doth progress on thy cheeks").

FWIW 'Schedule' (as a verb) is also of British origin (it appeared in the
London Times at least as far back as 1862).

A final comment - in some cases you should be grateful for 'Americanisms',
for without them the British would refer to 'traffic roundabouts' as
"gyratory circuses".

Manning
Sydney

 

....what? what, damn you?

 

<snip word related spiel>

Are all Aussies as well educated as you? Your verbosity seems at odds with
what I've seen in documentaries such as "Neighbours" and "Home and Away".

 

Glorious!

Thanks for the quote

Manning
Sydney

 

*sob*

I'm starting to agree with Des.

 

Hey, just because I make light of agreeing with you on this point,
don't make the assumption that I've previously dished out 'vicious
and unwarranted abuse', because I don't think I have given you
any abuse in the past, whatsoever.

 

The fact that Neighbours airs at 4 in the afternoon (it is deemed as an
'after-school' program for the pre-teen and early teenager market) might
tell you something. Yes, we make it (and rake the cash in as a result), but
at least we don't watch it, and certainly not in prime time.

Contrary to popular opinion, Australia has one of the highest rates of
tertiary education in the world, around 34.7 % of the total population
possesses some form of post-secondary qualification. (2001 census figures).

Manning

 

We've got a few good schools over here. I believe *Rugby* is quite well
regarded. )

 

Hehe - the usage of 'quote" as an informal alternative to 'quotation" is
well established and has been extant in both the UK and America for well
over a century. While I would not use it in a formal situation, I was not
aware that UKRM is regarded as an academic forum...

Manning

 

Des said "Des is wrong" - it's Epimenides Paradox all over again...

(Quick - get Godel on the phone)

Manning

 

Yes.

 

Well, all this mutual "brain worship" is about as interesting as thrush.
Surely one of them has cum by now.

 

Yes, and the *cricket* pitches at Eton are apparently very good...

(RWC: Australia = 2 wins. England = 1 win).



Manning

 

Heh. I don't always agree or always disagree with Des and even on
the latter point I tend to keep quiet.

It's just that on this particular point, I disagree that just because
a significant number of people are doing something incorrectly[1] then
that should eventually become correct, IYSWIM.

[1] Whether this is language or any other discipline where rules
are generally applied.[2]
[2] I mean look at rugby, since it's been in the news a fair bit
recently. It's generally considered to have been 'invented' when
William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a game of football[3],
ran with it and plonked it in the goal. Why didn't the ref just
blow for handball, eh?
[3] Football of sorts, not as we know it today[4].
[4] Which brings me right round full circle to damaging the English
language, as fotballers are, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst
offenders.

 

Like a drug-dealer who doesn't get high on his own supply. Callous

Yeah, yeah, so you've got a lot of archaeologists. How many get to go
to University or College?

 

We're practising losing at cricket in Sri Lanka at the moment
which gives us plenty of time to be *really* good at it in
time for the next CWC.

 

Typical Aussie. I was just pointing one of our educational establishments
and for some reason you turn it into a sport related insult.