What's in a name? Fame
Yes, even everyday words have their claims to fame. Language is a fascinating, living creature. Should we care to preserve it (doubtful in this age of devil-may-care tweets and texts), linguists must become the writer's heroes. Linguistics is not the study of languages, but of language - its formation and structure, its evolution and influences.
It's becoming old-fashioned to quote a paper-and-ink book (sniff, sniff), but if you're a fellow word nerd take a look at the user-friendly "All in a Word," by linguist Vivian Cook. I mean once I return it to the Hayden library. (Remember library stacks, those heavenward havens of imagination?)
Speaking of imagination, Shakespeare's was linguistically lenient. If he couldn't ascertain the perfect word, he simply made one up. Of the 16th century's 26,000 new words added to English, Shakespeare is credited with no fewer than 700 of them. According to Cook's book, among these are impair, negotiate, fashionable, addiction, accommodation, compulsive, countless, fixture, generous, laughable, majestic, obscene, prophetic, mimic, invitation, radiance, savagery, and - aptly - useful.
Other additions to English came directly from names:
Boycott: Captain Charles Boycott, an estate manager in 18th century Ireland, was ostracized by his community in protest over fair rent and wages.
Cardigan: The Earl of Cardigan was said to wear such a sweater while leading the Light Brigade in the 1800s.
Xerox (Greek xero, or dry) and Google (the number "googol" or 1 followed by 100 zeros) equate product with corporate name, but "Yahoo" was what writer Jonathan Swift called the miniature aggressive people in "Gulliver's Travels," later used to mean a brute.
Forsythia, begonia, and wisteria: flowers named for French West Indies governor Michel Begon, botanist William Forsyth, and anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Fuschia (genus, flower, and color): Another botanist, German physician Leonhard Fuchs.
Guillotine, lynching: Ironically French revolutionist Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin disliked the death penalty, alternatively arguing for a device less painful than hanging. Virginia Captain William Lynch organized sham trials with quick death penalties.
Gerrymander: Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry and his salamander-shaped, advantageous electoral boundary.
Sadist: The infamous Marquis de Sade wrote graphically of his painful proclivities.
Maverick: Animal-lover Samuel Maverick refused to brand his Texas cattle.
Thinking of meat makes me hungry, so let's end with John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich. Such a gambling addict was he that he didn't stop for dinner, instead cramming meat between bread between hands. The rest is history.
Next time, more words adopted from literary imaginations, including sci-fi.
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at [email protected].