My mind's been philosophically wandering today. It hit upon an interesting question: How (by what criteria) do you select a word?
The word for dictionary is a good example. You can flatly state it, as in German Wörterbuch (=book of words) even doing it this way there is something better in my mind though. The derivationally similar "lexicon" does it better by what it implies, though not in the original Latin the word lexis has taken on a meaning in linguistics of the body of words in use in a given language at a givin time. To my ear it adds a ring of completeness that "Wörterbuch" dosn't have; these aren't just any words, they're all the words in a given language. But still, there are better ways to go.
I would still choose English "Dictionary" even over the French version it was stolen from, because (in much the same way as "lexicon" rubs from "lexis") it has gotten a nice, secondary meaning. There's a nice false etymology which would derive it from the modern use of "diction" in English, it's not just a book of words, or just a book to help you choose words (as in French, which is better than the Latin even) but a book of the best words. A book to help your manner of speech (get better).
I've decided that I like the process of reminiscence, words which rub off on similar words over time. I think this has also given me a look at my own preferences for a meaning. I tend to prefer more descriptive forms over less... Terms which give a clue to the function (intended use?) of an object over simple description.
Testing this with my (now standard) umbrella example, I get some interesting results; my favorite word for "umbrella" is almost the reverse. I like "parapluie", but it's nowhere close to the Alpha Smart word. The word is "Taenolim" (from Taeno (roof) + lim (nub)) which is an extension of an existing architectural term for the peak of a roof. (Ironically, it was never used in that sense in any connected discourse I ever wrote.) It's almost completely descriptive of what it is, but it has a definite rubbing from what it does. It rubs from its root word, as what else does a roof do but keep the weather off you; it rubs from the suffix (which is extremely productive) which gives a definite connotation of shape (the equivalents of nipple (breast-nub), doorknob (handle-nub of door), knifepoint, etc.) and it yields to a false etymology that would derive it from Taen (raincloud) as a diminutive.
Copyright © 1997, Don Blaheta
Last updated: 2 Dec 1997