[samaspire]

A title in the TOI caught my eye today 'An Epidemic of Arbitrariness?'.
Good use of thought provoking words. Can we think of similar such combinations.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by samaspire

A title in the TOI caught my eye today 'An Epidemic of Arbitrariness?'.
Good use of thought provoking words. Can we think of similar such combinations.

When I read stuff like this in mass distributed blurbs, I am always reminded of Joey, with this:

[samaspire]

Its like someone wanted to be seen as smart.

"What do you want to talk about? Vivisection? Vasdeferens?"

[Samurai]

Recently my wife's cousin published a book in Kannada, her first actually. I got a free copy. But I found it very difficult to read because she had done what Joey had done in the above pic.

Me: Why have you used all these heavy unfamiliar words?
She: Well, if I use simple words people may think I am not sophisticated enough.
Me: I am sure you have read works of Kuvempu, Karantha, etc.
She: Sure, I have.
Me: Have you seen them use big complicated words or simple words?
She: Hmm, simple words. But they are famous, they can get away with it.
Me: No. That is not the reason. Your ideas must be sophisticated, not the words. Get a Kannada thesaurus, and always use familiar/common words to express your complex ideas. That way your readers can read it without a dictionary next to them, and have a chance at understanding your ideas easily. Impress them with your ideas, not with your vocabulary.

Not sure she is convinced... her second book which is under progress has even bigger words. Lot of work if she has to re-write it with simple words.

[Thad E Ginathom]

if I use simple words people may think I am not sophisticated enough.

Seen elsewhere, in a discussion on citizenship: renunciate.

Oh my god. A verb formed from the noun formed from the original, and correct verb, which is, of course, renounce. According to Goggle, it is even in the dictionary now, at least in America.

The majority are illiterate, and it is, therefore, illiteracy that forms the language of the future. Sad, but inevitable.

[Samurai]

Just today I came across the word Carefrontational, which means confronting while caring.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Just today I came across the word Carefrontational, which means confronting while caring.

That's a portmanteau word. I love those! Smog, motel, Hinglish, Brangelina are some examples.

I'm wondering if there is a word for a similar yet distinct formation that uses the opposite of part of a regular word to coin a completely new (contrived) word. For example: opposite of postpone becomes prepone; opposite of pre-paid becomes post-paid.

[Thad E Ginathom]

prepone is the all-time-classic example in Indian English: it's a great word! From British English, I can only get underwhelmed out of my currently-too-hot brain cells. Some people even speka of being whelmed!

There is nothing wrong with imaginative creation of words: it is how the language grows. Creation of bad words, when good words already exist, is not imaginative: it is failure to use dictionaries, thesaurus, or even Google.

I often use Google to check if I have a word right, or to get the spelling correct.

I don't know if pre- and post-paid depend on each other. I feel they are independent, and anyway, the hyphen gives a great deal of freedom.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

prepone is the all-time-classic example in Indian English: it's a great word! From British English, I can only get underwhelmed out of my currently-too-hot brain cells. Some people even speka of being whelmed!

Yes. Great example!

I don't know if pre- and post-paid depend on each other. I feel they are independent, and anyway, the hyphen gives a great deal of freedom.

Interestingly, according to Merriam Webster, postpaid without the hyphen actually means

postpaid

1. : having the postage paid by the sender and not chargeable to the receiver

In short- pre-paid

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Just today I came across the word Carefrontational, which means confronting while caring.

Infanticipating - a word from the early days of cable TV that has stuck with me. I heard it on some Australian TV series in the 90's (not "Neighbours").

Originally Posted by noopster

postpaid = pre-paid

English is a very funny language.

[Thad E Ginathom]

post = piece of wood
post = letters and parcels
post = after
post = a rank in the navy
post = job
post = entry on bulletin board or forum

Yes, it is indeed a funny language!

[Samurai]

Well, all languages have such quirks.

Take Hindi...

Kal = Tomorrow
Kal = Yesterday

[Thad E Ginathom]

That's just mean!

Thought of yet more meanings of "post" and added them to my previous err... post. Yes! Had time to edit that one in

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Thought of yet more meanings of "post" and added them to my previous err... post. Yes! Had time to edit that one in

Kohli 'posted' his first century in T20 cricket.

Google found a few more...

travel with haste; hurry. "he comes posting up the street"
adverb archaic
adverb: post


with haste. "come now, come post"


Old English, I guess...

[Thad E Ginathom]

usually in combination with haste: post-haste.

There is something about coaching (horse-drawn) days where the word is used. O think this usage is related. Too sleepy to research just now!