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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
The Generic Suffix
Is there an official term for the practice of deploying a suffix borrowed from some other word to import some of the semantic content into a new term?
I'm thinking here of examples such as "-gate" ... borrowed from the Watergate Hotel (and the break-in) to refer to any kind of unethical government behaviour and associated cover-up. Another example might be "-(a)-thon", borrowed from "marathon" to indicate an activity taking place over a long period of time and/or distance (a "walkathon").
What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, some sub-editor decided to call a television-based fund-raising appeal a "telethon" (to indicate that it would be aired for several hours across several scheduled programs) and subsequently, people began calling sponsored walks "walkathons" to indicate both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.
Chrissy
I'm thinking here of examples such as "-gate" ... borrowed from the Watergate Hotel (and the break-in) to refer to any kind of unethical government behaviour and associated cover-up. Another example might be "-(a)-thon", borrowed from "marathon" to indicate an activity taking place over a long period of time and/or distance (a "walkathon").
What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, some sub-editor decided to call a television-based fund-raising appeal a "telethon" (to indicate that it would be aired for several hours across several scheduled programs) and subsequently, people began calling sponsored walks "walkathons" to indicate both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.
Chrissy
Top answer
X-No-Archive: yes [nq:1]What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, ... [/nq] Inventing a noun, where none formerly existed, using some sort of historical logic is sensible.
- X-No-Archive: yes [nq:1]What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice.
- At some point, ...
- [/nq] Inventing a noun, where none formerly existed, using some sort of historical logic is sensible.
- It matters not that "photograph" and "television" are half caste words.
- The important thing is that they do the job.
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7 Answers
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X-No-Archive: yes
[nq:1]What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, ... and subsequently, people began calling sponsored walks "walkathons" to indicate both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.[/nq]
Inventing a noun, where none formerly existed, using some sort of historical logic is sensible. It m
[nq:1]What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, ... and subsequently, people began calling sponsored walks "walkathons" to indicate both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.[/nq]
Inventing a noun, where none formerly existed, using some sort of historical logic is sensible. It m
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[nq:1]Is there an official term for the practice of deploying a suffix borrowed from some other word to import some ... "-(a)-thon", borrowed from "marathon" to indicate an activity taking place over a long period of time and/or distance (a "walkathon").[/nq]
It doesn't seem to be official, but when I studied linguistics, I'm pretty sure at least one of my professors called them "burger morphs
It doesn't seem to be official, but when I studied linguistics, I'm pretty sure at least one of my professors called them "burger morphs
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...
[nq:1]What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, ... and subsequently, people began calling sponsored walks "walkathons" to indicate both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.[/nq]
In this example, it is called a &$^&#*! abomination, or hanging offense. Otherwise, I suppose it's good old noun p
[nq:1]What is interesting in this last example is that the semantic borrowing seems to have happened twice. At some point, ... and subsequently, people began calling sponsored walks "walkathons" to indicate both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.[/nq]
In this example, it is called a &$^&#*! abomination, or hanging offense. Otherwise, I suppose it's good old noun p
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Evan Kirshenbaum filted:
[nq:2]Is there an official term for the practice of deploying ... over a long period of time and/or distance (a "walkathon").[/nq]
[nq:1]It doesn't seem to be official, but when I studied linguistics, I'm pretty sure at least one of my professors ... seem to appear on Google, so it appears that it must have been an idiosyncratic term. I like it, though.[/nq]
Si
[nq:2]Is there an official term for the practice of deploying ... over a long period of time and/or distance (a "walkathon").[/nq]
[nq:1]It doesn't seem to be official, but when I studied linguistics, I'm pretty sure at least one of my professors ... seem to appear on Google, so it appears that it must have been an idiosyncratic term. I like it, though.[/nq]
Si
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[nq:2]What is interesting in this last example is that the ... both the length of the event, AND their fund-raising purpose.[/nq]
[nq:1]In this example, it is called a &$[/nq]^&#*! abomination, or hanging offense.
Geez, I guess you didn't like the famous "Laff-a-lympics" cartoon on Saturday mornings back in the day.
[nq:1]In this example, it is called a &$[/nq]^&#*! abomination, or hanging offense.
Geez, I guess you didn't like the famous "Laff-a-lympics" cartoon on Saturday mornings back in the day.
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[nq:2]Is there an official term for the practice of deploying ... over a long period of time and/or distance (a "walkathon").[/nq]
[nq:1]It doesn't seem to be official, but when I studied linguistics, I'm pretty sure at least one of my professors ... seem to appear on Google, so it appears that it must have been an idiosyncratic term. I like it, though.[/nq]
In the case of "hamburger," tho
[nq:1]It doesn't seem to be official, but when I studied linguistics, I'm pretty sure at least one of my professors ... seem to appear on Google, so it appears that it must have been an idiosyncratic term. I like it, though.[/nq]
In the case of "hamburger," tho
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[nq:2]In this example, it is called a &$[/nq]^&#*! abomination, or hanging offense.
[nq:1]Geez, I guess you didn't like the famous "Laff-a-lympics" cartoon on Saturday mornings back in the day.[/nq]
Thanks, I was spared that one. Tokenization, as properly named by Garry Vass in his post, seems to have a long history of driving the usual suspects up the wall when the token is supplied by "t
[nq:1]Geez, I guess you didn't like the famous "Laff-a-lympics" cartoon on Saturday mornings back in the day.[/nq]
Thanks, I was spared that one. Tokenization, as properly named by Garry Vass in his post, seems to have a long history of driving the usual suspects up the wall when the token is supplied by "t
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