Predicting New Words: The Secrets of Their Success

by Allan A. Metcalf

Have you ever aspired to gain linguistic immortality by making up a word? Many people — such famous writers as Jonathan Swift, Lewis Carroll, and Dr. Seuss, along with many lesser-knowns — have coined new words that have endured. But most of the new words people put forward fail to find favor. Why are some new words adopted, while others are ignored? Allan Metcalf explores this question in his fascinating look at new-word creation.
In surveying past coinages and proposed new words, Metcalf discerns lessons for linguistic longevity. He shows us, for instance, why the humorist Gelett Burgess succeeded in contributing the words blurb and bromide to the language but failed to win anyone over to bleesh or diabob. Metcalf examines terms invented to describe political causes and social phenomena (silent majority, Gen-X), terms coined in books (edge city, Catch-22), brand names and words derived from them (aspirin, Ping-Pong), and words that derive from misunderstandings (cherry, kudo). He develops a scale for predicting the success of newly coined words and uses it to foretell which emerging words will outlast the twenty-first century. In this highly original work, Metcalf shows us how to spin syllabic straw into linguistic gold.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Michael Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fun read. It answered a question I recently had about the life of words. Definitely a good read.

[Mark A.]

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[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I was expecting something else, but it was still interesting.

[kingshearte · Rating 3 out of 5]

"English is famous for its expansive vocabulary and for its endless fascination with new words. Every year, hundreds of new words come into the language - words for new products and technologies, words for emerging fads in fashion and the arts, words for political and social developments, hip words, slang words, even words that were created as jokes. But for every one of these new adoptions, there are many more coinages that people choose to ignore. In fact, the history of the English language is littered with the remains of new-word wannabes.

What makes the difference between success and failure in a new word? Why do we embrace one new word and discard another? In Predicting New Words, Allan Metcalf explores these questions and provides a truly original look at the phenomenon of vocabulary creation. By surveying past winners and losers in the great game of linguistic innovation, Metcalf devises a formula for predicting the success of new words, showing how coiners of new words can boost their chances to put words - or at least a word - into the mouths of their fellow speakers."

My name is Brenda, and I am a word geek. Now that that's out of the way, this was an interesting little book. And any book that helps me get a clue on Jeopardy is officially worthwhile. I'm not sure there's all that much to say about it, though. The blurb there is pretty self-explanatory. The book did what it was supposed to, explained what it was supposed to, etc, and was decently enjoyable to read. I learned some things about the histories of a few words, and learned some newer words that apparently were pretty big in 2002, but that have died out so quickly I never even noticed them. Anyway, if you dig words, this book is enjoyable. If you don't, it's probably dull as all hell.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allan Metcalf’s Predicting New Words had a fantastic concept, but it was remarkably unremarkable. I was excited to read a book that would talk of words, how they are coined, how they die out or, miraculously, survive. However, from the beginning of this book I learned to settle for a little less and just read what I was dealt.

I learned a few new facts, such as where the term ‘couch potato’ came from, and how not to create a word, but I was otherwise bored and sometimes a little lost. He wasn’t the most organized writer I had ever read, and so bouncing around with his ideas and examples was a little annoying.

As an English Major, this stuff naturally interests me. I’ve read a lot of books on words, and this one is by far, not my favorite. I was really hoping it would, but it was a swing and a miss. No runs, no wickets, just a bit of a let down. Hidden among the pages may be hidden gems, but it’s hard to find them through the unimportant lull that is most of this book.

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the written word, however. It may not be a favorite of mine, but I am still glad to have read it.

[Pancha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read about how new words enter our modern English vocabulary (modern here meaning 19th century and onwards), including origins and critiques of some of the most and least popular neologisms. It even includes an evaluation method to gauge whether a new word has staying power (inspired by the Apgar score).

Most interesting tidbit for me: I had no idea "chortle" was a portmanteau, nor that CS Lewis coined it! I suppose if I ever thought about it, I assumed it was Anglo-Saxon in origin.

[PastAllReason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Already dated, but with some interesting ideas on what causes a popular and enduring new word to become commonplace.

[Becki]

SCHMOOZEOISIE!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah. Some fun facts, but the author seems to bring nothing new to the table beyond what he cites others have already done. This doesn't seem cohesive at all.

[Dan Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you write stories set in the future, you probably need this book.