If you felt that you needed a word, would you take it upon yourself to create it

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   The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

   If you felt that you needed a word, would you take it upon yourself to create it?
   
   Would you feel like it was a problem, or like it was wrong, to create a word yourself? Or would you feel as if it was too much of a bother to do it and just wait for it to be created? Or would you do it some other way?

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2. 72

   Marie Flintposted 9 years ago

   Normally, I pick my memory bank for the right vocabulary word that already exists. Words to describe a sound, however, are wide open, in my opinion. Even "gobbledegook" and "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" are in the dictionary, so I rarely (I do mean rarely) find a need to create a new word.

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I hit the dictionaries, (I have a few) and the thesaurus for a for the right one too, but I would not feel right creating one.

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   bethperryposted 9 years ago

   Kevin, you bet your sweet friendiffic tushamodora I would! As rich as the English language is, there are certain ideas which it has not provided for. And as much as I love the French language, I am simply too Norseamorphic to study Francodialectianoosia with a straight face. And so I am forced, at times, to rely on my artistical pencraftmean license to create just the uberperfectorific word or phrase needed. And sure, I might speak such words with a false Franco accent, but this is done in all good jestaroodmentaliticselfmoderation, so no harm done,  you can be suremorcertain of!

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Since I won a spelling bee with a 28 letter word in the 7th grade, I think that I would keep searching for a word to fit what I needed. Besides, creating one would make me feel like a kid again and I do not like that.

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      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Really? But kidhood is the sweetest time of life, I think

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      Twilight Lawnsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The word, no doubt, was antidisestablishmentarianism. Am I correct?  or should it have been Antidisestablishmentarianism?

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Twilight Lawns, Yes it was. I checked the Cambridge Dictionary (the word came from England) and it was just written as "anti".

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   dahoglundposted 9 years ago

   I would not be inclined to invent words but if the occasion called for it, I would.

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I would not, unless it was fiction, because then I would feel like a kid.

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   FeniqueSposted 9 years ago

   I would not feel bad or like it was a problem. And would after intense research create my own word, then I'd know it would be from my own heart to my world and beyond.

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I would definitely research it too for reality, for fiction I would just come up with a new one.

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   M. T. Dremerposted 9 years ago

   I think it depends on the context. For example, when creating an animal that doesn't exist, it all but demands a unique name. But, if you're creating words to replace words that already exist, you run the risk of alienating the reader. There was an example I used in one of my writing hubs where I said "They were eating doba in the snarg" as a poor substitute for "They were eating bread in the forest". Doing stuff like that is just going to turn off readers who don't want to spend the time translating your work. But, your question pertains to words that do not exist. If that is the case, and no easy equivalent exists, then why not create a new word? Who knows, it might catch on.

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Was your Hub fiction or reality? For fiction it happens all of the time, I believe that would catch on.

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      M. T. Dremerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I was referring to fiction in that hub. Fantasy books tend to have a lot of made-up words in them. Which is okay so long as they have a legitimate purpose.

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   Twilight Lawnsposted 9 years ago

   If it was all right for William Shakespeare, then I suppose it might be all right for you.
   But why bother, when English is  the richest language in the world.  After all, we borrowed so many from other languages, and either manipulated them for our own uses or used them in their original forms.
   When I say, "manipulated" I am sure that you understand that I didn't actually mean that they were changed by hand. 
   It's the etymology of words that I love - not the entymology of them, as my good friend Steve would have it.
   That would be too creepy!
   Ha ha ha.

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I like Shakespeare. I like etymology. I hate entomology. So I agree.

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   ocfirefliesposted 9 years ago

   I make up words because of my interaction with students,  When I am looking for something and can't find it, I will say Shazbah-or some other made up words-as far as I know actual words, but it serves as my private expletive and it makes the students laugh.
   
   Plus, I have had students create new words when studying the king of all made up words:  Dr. Seuss.  Smiles!
   
   Great questions and fun to answer,

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It sounds as if you have young students. :-) That sounds like a fun reason.

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