Neologism, or the Creation of New Words

Have you ever wondered how a word becomes a word? Well, many of us have. The answer can be found in the term neologism and is wholly dependent on the creative mind of the writer. To find out what that means exactly read on.

What is Neologism?

A neologism is a new word, either serious or humorous, used in both literary text and spoken speech that has been coined by a writer. One of the most famous wordsmiths to have coined multiple words used in common everyday speech is William Shakespeare. No surprise there. Some of the words used today that were created by Shakespeare include “blushing,” “amazement,” and “cold-blooded.”

When do writers use Neologism?

A neologism is created when a writer or someone speaking in everyday speech tries to describe an experience, object or feeling. These new words are created to add humor to a text or when no other word can describe what is trying to be said.  For example, if a writer is feeling or experiencing something that has never happened before, they might create a new word to describe that particular moment.

The Types and Stages of Neologism

Neologisms result in the creation of new words. There are over 10 types of neologisms including: new coinages, derived words, abbreviations, collocations, eponyms, phrasal words, transferred words, acronyms, pseudo-neologisms, and international.

In addition to the many types of neologism, there are three recognized stages before a neologism is considered a new word.

Creation – The new word enters common language as a “protologism.”
Trial – The new word is widely dispersed until it becomes widely accepted (entered into glossaries, dictionaries, and large corpora.)
Establishment – The stage at which origins are established based on existing linguistic fragments used to coin the new word.

Neologism in Literature and Poetry 📚

One of the greatest examples of neologism in writing occurred when Lewis Carroll wrote “Jabberwocky,” a completely nonsensical poem.

“’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”

Since very few words in this passage appear to be actual words, it seems pretty obvious most of the words in these lines consist of words made up on the spot to describe the very strange situation Alice found herself in.

Another great example of neologism should come as no surprise. Let’s look at these line from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice:

Thanks to Shakespeare, today and for always, the color green will always be associated with jealousy.

James Joyce also incorporated neologisms into his epic poem, Ulysses. He wrote:

In these lines, it appears Joyce wanted words that created striking imagery by using words that very clearly described what the character was seeing. His creations resulted in the compound words, “mrkgnao,” “shameclosing,” and “milkwhite.”

Neologism in Song 🎧

In song lyrics and the music industry, check out his brief list of neologisms currently used in everyday language.

“YOLO” (You Only Live Once) by Drake
“Gangnam Style” by Psy
 “Bling Bling” by B.G.
“Crunk” by Lil Jon”Twerking” by Miley Cyrus
“Swag” by Soulja Boy

Neologisms Coined and Made Famous by Movies 🎥

Movies are chock full of neologisms. The list is really quite impressive.

First off, we have Star Wars, “If you only knew the power of the Dark Side.”

And then who can ever forget Cher’s, “Oops. My bad.” in Clueless:

But the list continues with”

“Yippee-ki-yay,” Die Hard (1988)

“Gaslighting,” Gaslight (1944)

“Spam” from Monty Python’s Flying Circus

“Savvy” from Pirates of the Caribbean“Catfish” from the documentary, Catfish

And the list could literally go on for days and days . . .

Neologism in Advertising 📺

Just as in film and music, when it comes to neologisms, the advertising world has also had its day in the sun. Check out his brief list.

McJob (McDonald’s)Think Different (Apple)
Just Do It (Nike)
Have It Your Way (Burger King)
Where’s the Beef? (Wendy’s)
Got Milk? (California Milk Processor Board)
Finger-lickin’ Good (KFC)
 Taste the Rainbow (Skittles)

Neologism related literary devices 👥

Due to the nature of neologisms, the term is often mistaken for other, similar terms. A few of these mistaken identities are listed here.

Abstract diction – A writer uses abstract words and phrases to describe something complex or abstract, such as an idea or belief, to make it easier to understand.
Imagery – As you may have noticed with Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky,” while the words may have been made up on the spot, they did evoke vivid images of what Alice saw. Unlike
neologism, of which imagery is an added bonus, imagery occurs when the author is intentionally trying to engage a reader’s senses.