Neologism
Definition
In linguistics, a neologism is a recently-coined word, or the act of inventing a word or phrase. Additionally it can imply the use of old words in a new sense (i.e., giving new meanings to existing words or phrases). Neologisms are especially useful in identifying new inventions, new phenomena, or old ideas which have taken on a new cultural context. The word "neologism" was coined around 1800 and was, at that time, a neologism itself. A person who develops a neologism is sometimes called a neologist; neology is the act of introducing a new word into a language. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neologism [2003]Avant la lettre
avant la lettre [F] foreign term : before the letter: before a (specified) name existed. --http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/French/Vocabulary/French-International.html [Mar 2005]Word Coinage
Words and phrases are often created, or "coined," by combining existing words, or by giving words new and unique suffixes and/or prefixes. For example, the word "video" had been used to describe any visual image on a television screen, and "tape" to describe a thin strip; the word "videotape" was invented in 1953 as a combination of these two, named by combining the words for two of its key features. Further, the words "video" and "audio" themselves were not borrowed from the Latin until the twentieth century, when new technology required words to define the two concepts. Words which are combined are often shortened or lengthened, such as "smoke" and "fog" becoming smog (1905). Words coined in such a way are called portmanteaus.
Words can also be created through abbreviation, acronym (such as laser), by intentionally rhyming with existing words, or simply through playing with sounds. It is very rare, however, for a word to enter common use if it does not resemble another word or words in an identifiable way. (In these cases, strange new words succeed because the idea behind them is especially memorable or exciting, such as, again, laser).
Another illustration of coinage is seen in the word dot-com (1994), denoting a company that relies on the Internet for most or all of its business, which arose due to the frequency of businesses including ".com" in their company name. As the Internet became a major market force, it required the creation of an easy term to describe these businesses. This is an easily pinpointed example of how a new idea can quickly become a new word, or neologism, usually based on a void in the then-current language or a need to expedite the expression of an idea which is gaining popularity. New words often enter the language through mass media, the Internet, or through word of mouth—especially, many linguists suspect, by younger people.
Words and phrases can also be created as an attempt to frame a political issue, in order to cause the listener of the word or phrase to interpret the issue as coiner intends. A contemporary example where two phrases have been coined to frame the same issue in opposite ways are "pro-life" and "pro-choice" --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_coinage [Jul 2004]
Coining of Genres in Music
Northern Soul Coined
Soul record guru Dave Godin actually first coined the phrase 'Northern Soul' sometime around 1971 when writing his column in Blues and Soul magazine.
Punk Coined
That was also the Creem issue where Dave Marsh coined the phrase "punk rock" in a column about seeing a Question Mark & The Mysterians club gig... something was definitely in American's drinking water that month.
Neologism and Genre Theory
Before a genre has a name, it exists already. Then critics come up with a name (we call this "coining" and people start to make movies/books/music to fit that genre.Once this is done, parodies of a genre can arise. Giving a genre a name gives the opportunity for a parody to exist. --jahsonic, Dec 2003
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