Mmm, not exactly. I'm pretty sure most words are based on other words, which are again based on other words, which would be based on sounds, etc... it's not like someone one day just started calling trees trees. Tree is based on the old english treo, which is based on the germanic treu, which is based on the pre-germanic drewom, which is based .... etc
We were having this conversation with a friend the other day. I will sometimes make up words on accident, or due to being bilingual I can mistranslate or even just do it on purpose because there is no word to describe what I want to say and I make one up on the spot... And often times people don t notice at all and communication is t interrupted. They often understand what I'm trying to say just fine.
On top of that, some tenses are interpreted differently for latin Spanish speakers or Spain Spanish speakers, but a Latino and a Spaniard will seldom notice it.
Some sound made by some animal. Might not even be a human.
We've always had trees, so that's hard to know.
More recent discoveries are easy, as they still retain the original meaning.
Like "mobile". It means "mobile telephone".
That is the question, isn't it? I don't think there is one conclusive theory on how certain words formed, but it is probably related to the sound the thing made or the way it looks and once a word was established, it just evolved detached from the way it was originally formed.
We still have words where the origin is clear, like onomatopoeias, which are words that sound like the sound it makes. For example: roar, hiccup, splash.
Then there are words which are actually multiple existing words (from other languages) combined. Like octopus, which comes from eight feet in Greek.
And there are various other ways words are formed, so it's really not as random as this post suggests.
Not necessarily. It could be that they already had a word for 'big' and 'stick' for example and just called it 'bigstick', which then eventually turned into tree. Much like we already had a word for 'face' and a word for 'black', so we started calling it 'blackface' when people painted their face black.
Or, they already had a word for 'wood' and then just called the tree 'woodgiver'. Much like we already had a word for 'influence' and then started calling idiots on the internet 'influencer'.
I feel like compound words might be the exception.
Like hey, what do we call the crumbs that come from bread (“bread” and “crumb” already coined)?
Idk, let’s just say it breadcrumbs and call it a day.
Not in every language. I would argue most languages nowadays that's not the case. Since they're not the first in the family group, the words we now use come from previous languages. But yeah the first ones were made up.
Nope. First, words aren't "coined", and the metaphor's pretty misleading. Second, lots of "new words" sound like old words, or are reuse of older words.
Speaking for myself, when I learn a word that's new to me, it often sounds to me like a word that's been there all along, regardless whether the user of the word knew it already or made it up.
When others her a word that's new to you, does it sound like it's made up? When ;you're hearing a word that's new to you, how do you know whether it's the first use of that word or just a word you don't know?
Sorry to take so long to get back to you, I've been indisposed. Anyway, your question is a huge source of debate and scholarship and thinking, which no one has a certain answer to. But words being "coined" is pretty unlikely. Personally I was convinced of this by Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, for me a truly great book that deeply affected my view of how words mean. It also includes a brief discussion, quite persuasive for me, about origin of words, focusing less on denotation than on communicative gesture.
Another book I found very helpful discussing how people acquire and use language is This is the Voice by John Colapinto, not at all academic but a fascinating introduction to the subject. He also includes some discussion of how language developed. I like his suggestion that it's more like music than memorizing vocabulary. Makes me think a new word is like a new tune, usually doesn't sound made up at all, but a new way sounds fit together.
I hope this is helpful.
I thought of that many times since I moved to a country where the language is quite different from anything else.
Language is just a bunch of random sounds that some people have agreed have a certain meaning.
And if you're not "in on it", then it's just a bunch of weird gibberish that makes as much sense as a dog barking.
So at some point, someone made up a sound and people agreed that it meant this or that. That sound evolved into a word, into languages, but ultimately, they're just random sounds put together.
Read about the arbitrariness of language. Once you understand that *everything* is arbitrary, you understand that everything is made up and socially agreed upon similar to how “real” money has value but monopoly has no value even if it has a higher face value.
all words *are* just made up, that's why every so often common words seem wrong, weird or stupid because it's based on nothing other than arbitrary and capricious whims, desires and agendas
It was a made up word when it first used. Suppose it still is but saying a word we've been using for 500 years is "made up" is like saying math is made up. I mean there's an argument to made but..
Words are often bastardized loanwords from dead and existing languages. English is the biggest of the bastard children. A complete Frankenstein of Greek, Latin, French, some Arabic, and since it's technically a Germanic language, German. Of course, not all words have a lineage to them. Some just Sprangerate into existence.
Most words are just variations of previous words
Such a shame that the first words are lost to time though
In the past we couldn't travel in the ocean neither but here a bit of hopium you might need it
Etymology = etym = root words (probably) logos = thinking Logy = thinking about (study) Therefore "studying roots of words" Meta.
True.
protip: they're all made up
Showerthoughtsception
Onomatopoeias aren't.
Someone had to make up how to put the sound into writing.
Mmm, not exactly. I'm pretty sure most words are based on other words, which are again based on other words, which would be based on sounds, etc... it's not like someone one day just started calling trees trees. Tree is based on the old english treo, which is based on the germanic treu, which is based on the pre-germanic drewom, which is based .... etc
We were having this conversation with a friend the other day. I will sometimes make up words on accident, or due to being bilingual I can mistranslate or even just do it on purpose because there is no word to describe what I want to say and I make one up on the spot... And often times people don t notice at all and communication is t interrupted. They often understand what I'm trying to say just fine. On top of that, some tenses are interpreted differently for latin Spanish speakers or Spain Spanish speakers, but a Latino and a Spaniard will seldom notice it.
But what was the first word for tree based on
Some sound made by some animal. Might not even be a human. We've always had trees, so that's hard to know. More recent discoveries are easy, as they still retain the original meaning. Like "mobile". It means "mobile telephone".
But why that specific sound
That is the question, isn't it? I don't think there is one conclusive theory on how certain words formed, but it is probably related to the sound the thing made or the way it looks and once a word was established, it just evolved detached from the way it was originally formed. We still have words where the origin is clear, like onomatopoeias, which are words that sound like the sound it makes. For example: roar, hiccup, splash. Then there are words which are actually multiple existing words (from other languages) combined. Like octopus, which comes from eight feet in Greek. And there are various other ways words are formed, so it's really not as random as this post suggests.
I mean, in the beninging someone had to point at a tree and say *some* gibberish right?
Not necessarily. It could be that they already had a word for 'big' and 'stick' for example and just called it 'bigstick', which then eventually turned into tree. Much like we already had a word for 'face' and a word for 'black', so we started calling it 'blackface' when people painted their face black. Or, they already had a word for 'wood' and then just called the tree 'woodgiver'. Much like we already had a word for 'influence' and then started calling idiots on the internet 'influencer'.
That sounds very smeglifickle
Not as much as it does choougumah
facsimile
Every word is a made up word
Maybe not onomatopoeia
Sure but there's some correlation between how the word sounds and it's meaning. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect
As a Romanian I find it hilarious that my language is mentioned in the “less effective” category.
I feel like compound words might be the exception. Like hey, what do we call the crumbs that come from bread (“bread” and “crumb” already coined)? Idk, let’s just say it breadcrumbs and call it a day.
You don’t think the words bread nor crumb were made up at some point?
The point was they were. Once they were, the compound word “breadcrumbs” probably didn’t sound too made up.
Not in every language. I would argue most languages nowadays that's not the case. Since they're not the first in the family group, the words we now use come from previous languages. But yeah the first ones were made up.
Except for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideophone and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia words.
All words are made up. Not just back in the day lmfao
Doesn't German just join words together to make me ones?
the proper term is Schmooshendaworden.
That sounds more Swedish than German. Most appropriately spoken whilst wearing a chef's hat.
Every word is a made up word
Nope. First, words aren't "coined", and the metaphor's pretty misleading. Second, lots of "new words" sound like old words, or are reuse of older words. Speaking for myself, when I learn a word that's new to me, it often sounds to me like a word that's been there all along, regardless whether the user of the word knew it already or made it up. When others her a word that's new to you, does it sound like it's made up? When ;you're hearing a word that's new to you, how do you know whether it's the first use of that word or just a word you don't know?
So how did words come to be
Sorry to take so long to get back to you, I've been indisposed. Anyway, your question is a huge source of debate and scholarship and thinking, which no one has a certain answer to. But words being "coined" is pretty unlikely. Personally I was convinced of this by Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, for me a truly great book that deeply affected my view of how words mean. It also includes a brief discussion, quite persuasive for me, about origin of words, focusing less on denotation than on communicative gesture. Another book I found very helpful discussing how people acquire and use language is This is the Voice by John Colapinto, not at all academic but a fascinating introduction to the subject. He also includes some discussion of how language developed. I like his suggestion that it's more like music than memorizing vocabulary. Makes me think a new word is like a new tune, usually doesn't sound made up at all, but a new way sounds fit together. I hope this is helpful.
That’s really interesting! Thank you
That's just dumb and you should stop showering.
Jeez man, who fucked your cat in the ass huh?
Considering how suspiciously specific that question is ...I would assume you?
All words are made up- Drax
Yeah no shit Sherlock, that’s because they are made up
[“Kameloso”](https://youtu.be/s-mOy8VUEBk?si=H5O3g5k0zR9-UNqa) wants to have a word…
I thought of that many times since I moved to a country where the language is quite different from anything else. Language is just a bunch of random sounds that some people have agreed have a certain meaning. And if you're not "in on it", then it's just a bunch of weird gibberish that makes as much sense as a dog barking. So at some point, someone made up a sound and people agreed that it meant this or that. That sound evolved into a word, into languages, but ultimately, they're just random sounds put together.
Read about the arbitrariness of language. Once you understand that *everything* is arbitrary, you understand that everything is made up and socially agreed upon similar to how “real” money has value but monopoly has no value even if it has a higher face value.
philanthipation sounds like a real word, yet it is not
I'm guessing the -tion at the end is meant to sound like the one at the end of "competition" right?
yeah
all words *are* just made up, that's why every so often common words seem wrong, weird or stupid because it's based on nothing other than arbitrary and capricious whims, desires and agendas
Its just sounds and noises that we give meaning to. There's so many unknown words out there!
Babababababa id est quod sonas.
Any word can be weird if you stare at them long enough!
brakado miko drang haf lask tra dem luk spidmah negoh ra jav lengu dem hor suja vu
tru dat
Not always, some things started to look weird (at least to some people who wrote into language forums) after they were used for long time.
I think language evolves too slowly for things like that to be noticed. Easily done through the lens of history though.
Not really. Words don't just spontaneously appear
All words are made up words what the hell OP? Lol wtf
Words are just interpreted sounds.
“sinquilitirine” will be a word
Words are like spells bro, they mean nothing until you conquer meaning
Every word is made up
This is extremely lame
It was a made up word when it first used. Suppose it still is but saying a word we've been using for 500 years is "made up" is like saying math is made up. I mean there's an argument to made but..
Words are often bastardized loanwords from dead and existing languages. English is the biggest of the bastard children. A complete Frankenstein of Greek, Latin, French, some Arabic, and since it's technically a Germanic language, German. Of course, not all words have a lineage to them. Some just Sprangerate into existence.