The richness of language lets us speak differently and over time create new words, which is known as a ‘neologism’. A neologism is generated in a language from elements that differ in origin, but always related to the adaptation of the traditional words or terms to the times in which they originate. A neologism is a new way to express an idea or concept which was previously expressed by other words, or in some cases may not have existed.
Generally, the origin of the neologism comes from colloquial expressions that are outside of the language and are spontaneous inventions language and oral communication. To carry out the process of creating new words, different actions can be presented in ways that are unintended and unplanned. Among them we find the union of terms that previously existed separately, combination, derivation and acronymia (i.e., the construction of terms using initials from several different words).
Today, the creation of neologisms is much more prevalent and obvious than at other times, which may be due to globalization, the importance of media in daily life, the simplification of language and the substitution (slow but progressive) of print communication to communication more centered around oral practices.
However, neologism that are created are not always intended to be coined in a language in the long-term; many of them go through stages of instability, stability, acceptance and, perhaps, are later forgotten.
Below, I include some examples of neologisms of the most recent vintage:
* Astronaut
* Computer
* Emoticon
* Hypertext
* Google (especially as a verb)
* Internet
* Facebook (especially as a verb)
* Blog
Do you have other neologisms to add?
(Spanish version: https://www.trustedtranslations.com/es/que-son-los-neologismos-2010-12-06.html)
