Booty
call. Tramp stamp. YOLO. Whatever. Geek. Awesome.
Yuppie. Hippie. Teenybopper.
Going steady. Doggie bag. Zoot suit.
These
are just some of the words coined by the generations of the past century. In an Oxford University Press book by Allan
Metcalf, From Skedaddle to Selfie:
Words of the Generations, we are treated to scores of words that
have defined generations past and present.
Metcalf,
an author, professor, and executive secretary of the American Dialect Society,
interestingly points out how certain generations coin words and how we come to
define the generations by the words they develop.
Certainly words make each generation distinctive. Picking up on other books, Generations and The Fourth Turning, he notes that generations tend to come in four varieties – and then repeat themselves every 80 years or so – or the length of a lifetime. The sequence is as follows: artist (adaptive), prophetic (idealistic), nomad (reactive), and hero (civic).
Certainly words make each generation distinctive. Picking up on other books, Generations and The Fourth Turning, he notes that generations tend to come in four varieties – and then repeat themselves every 80 years or so – or the length of a lifetime. The sequence is as follows: artist (adaptive), prophetic (idealistic), nomad (reactive), and hero (civic).
The newest
generation, Gen Z, is also coined “Homeland,” for the post – 9/11 era. The first American generation was called The
Compromise Generation, for those born 1767-1791.
Some
of the word origins are fascinating.
Did you know that "deadline" comes from when in a prison, a line, was
drawn, and if a prisoner crossed it, he would be shot dead!
Metcalf
tells us how hot dog came to be. Same
with: pioneer, dude, carpetbagger, fan, gung ho, babysitter, groovy, grunge, slacker,
hipster, meh, sexting, and FOMO.
Did
you know the word "jazz," before it was applied to a type of music, was used as a
baseball term?
Some
terms couldn’t exist but for the era they came from. Take fast food or junk food. That just did not exist in 1885. But the Boomers made multi-billion-dollar brands
famous for their crappy food. See
McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken, for starters.
Or
look at “hacker.” You couldn’t have that
without technology to break into, though newspapermen were hacks. So were cabbies.
Some
words come out of nowhere and resonate, like dork or road trip.
What
will be the new words and phrases of generations to come? They will, like all generations before them,
coin a word based on status, politics, economics, human foible, or the most
natural feelings and experiences.
Look at dating and sex. We’ve gone from all kinds of phrases: hook up, one-night stand, friends with privileges, going steady, dating, married, polygamous, etc.
What will people in 2039 use to describe love or sex – if those things will even exist?
Look at dating and sex. We’ve gone from all kinds of phrases: hook up, one-night stand, friends with privileges, going steady, dating, married, polygamous, etc.
What will people in 2039 use to describe love or sex – if those things will even exist?
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
How authors get their book marketing
mojo – and avoid failure
Authors
cannot succeed without the right attitude
So what
is needed to be a champion book marketer?
Should
You Promote Your Book By Yourself?
The Book Marketing Strategies Of
Best-Sellers
How authors can sell more books
No. 1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019
Toolkit For Authors -- FREE
Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative
opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone
and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him
on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels
much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.