I was bouncing around The Word Spy, looking for curious new words and phrases, when it occurred to me that I have never thought about the origin of word. Surprise, surprise — it's been around and active in somewhat similar forms for a long time.
Ah, words. Where would we be without them? Which reminds me, Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Snow Crash is an entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking riff along the lines of that question. I'll refrain from saying anything more about the book (except that when I first started reading it I thought that naming the main character Hiro Protagonist was somewhat clever but might get old in a hurry. I still get a chuckle from it, though).
Technorati Tags: etymology, neologisms, sci-fi, words, origins
Ah, words. Where would we be without them? Which reminds me, Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Snow Crash is an entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking riff along the lines of that question. I'll refrain from saying anything more about the book (except that when I first started reading it I thought that naming the main character Hiro Protagonist was somewhat clever but might get old in a hurry. I still get a chuckle from it, though).
Technorati Tags: etymology, neologisms, sci-fi, words, origins
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