My immediate response to today's challenge, to write a poem incorporating a neologism, was not very enthusiastic. Nothing came to mind. So I did what all intentionally creative people do: I waited until something did come to mind.
My first thoughts turned back to my childhood home, where playful language was frequently employed, especially, and though sometimes unintended, to the annoyance of other family members. (AKA teasing, namely me ). Sometimes even as a bargaining chip to allow a little sister to join in family games. Certainly there must have been some neologisms among the epithets? (According to MerriamWebster, an epithet can be understood to be the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate within a genus. Hmmm.)
I typed and thought about this assignment day and night. Still, the neologisms were neither coming nor coming back to mind. My thoughts turned to nicknames, the ones my family sometimes used for me, as perhaps the next closest thing: Mom: Te-za-leet 'ree, Tabut'ta boggala, Linti-linti (which I thought was Finnish for 'little bird' (the feathered kind) but evidently means 'tape'--go figure--presage of my later marrying a 3-M-er?). , and the inevitable mommy choice, Princess; Dad: Squirrelly (which may've been a reflection of my early childhood's chortling attempts to wriggle away from extreme tickling upon his return from a work week away.) Brothers: Shy (may've been a fact, but not if you knew me personally. More likely this one was just an abbreviation of my name.)
You may not be tempted to employ these or similar nicknames yourself. Please make up your own, if you would. I feel as possessive of these being ''mine' as any adoptee feels possessive of his or her children, their own flesh and blood newly come into the world. Well, maybe not AS fiercely, that one's a joy to behold, this one just 'is.'
Later in the day a neologism did come to mind...I will add it here when the slip on which I jotted it surfaces!
But the question remains, are the nicknames neologisms or not? I vote some yes, some not. But just considering the question was fun.
________________
Coincidental sidelight: My comment regarding Finnish narration of a short video I came across today:
'Can't tell you how delightfully the Finnish narration falls on my ear, even though I can't follow it. I haven't heard it in years but it echoes of uncles (and other relatives') conversations,' background music' to childhood visits at grandparents' house. It must be awfully hard to translate to English, vis the fractured results of so many attempts out there. I applaud my mother, in retrospect, for the translation work she was able to do for others, years after there were few/no others around with whom to speak it. (Thanks to Ingrid, there was at least one!!)
Even more coincidentally, guest musicians in church the next day played and sang a Finnish song!
My first thoughts turned back to my childhood home, where playful language was frequently employed, especially, and though sometimes unintended, to the annoyance of other family members. (AKA teasing, namely me ). Sometimes even as a bargaining chip to allow a little sister to join in family games. Certainly there must have been some neologisms among the epithets? (According to MerriamWebster, an epithet can be understood to be the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate within a genus. Hmmm.)
I typed and thought about this assignment day and night. Still, the neologisms were neither coming nor coming back to mind. My thoughts turned to nicknames, the ones my family sometimes used for me, as perhaps the next closest thing: Mom: Te-za-leet 'ree, Tabut'ta boggala, Linti-linti (which I thought was Finnish for 'little bird' (the feathered kind) but evidently means 'tape'--go figure--presage of my later marrying a 3-M-er?). , and the inevitable mommy choice, Princess; Dad: Squirrelly (which may've been a reflection of my early childhood's chortling attempts to wriggle away from extreme tickling upon his return from a work week away.) Brothers: Shy (may've been a fact, but not if you knew me personally. More likely this one was just an abbreviation of my name.)
You may not be tempted to employ these or similar nicknames yourself. Please make up your own, if you would. I feel as possessive of these being ''mine' as any adoptee feels possessive of his or her children, their own flesh and blood newly come into the world. Well, maybe not AS fiercely, that one's a joy to behold, this one just 'is.'
Later in the day a neologism did come to mind...I will add it here when the slip on which I jotted it surfaces!
But the question remains, are the nicknames neologisms or not? I vote some yes, some not. But just considering the question was fun.
________________
Coincidental sidelight: My comment regarding Finnish narration of a short video I came across today:
'Can't tell you how delightfully the Finnish narration falls on my ear, even though I can't follow it. I haven't heard it in years but it echoes of uncles (and other relatives') conversations,' background music' to childhood visits at grandparents' house. It must be awfully hard to translate to English, vis the fractured results of so many attempts out there. I applaud my mother, in retrospect, for the translation work she was able to do for others, years after there were few/no others around with whom to speak it. (Thanks to Ingrid, there was at least one!!)
Even more coincidentally, guest musicians in church the next day played and sang a Finnish song!
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