Invent New Words

It seems to me that the [strong] SapirWhorfHypothesis assumes that you cannot invent new words.

If you have trouble thinking about a concept because you don't have a word for it, then invent a new word for it!

In NineteenEightyFour, nothing was illegal, but obviously the invention of new words was frowned upon. They had fewer words every year. You could argue that the reduced vocabulary was enforced. You could argue that without the enforcement, the vocabulary would "grow back" as people started inventing new words.

Of course, when you invent a new word, you have to prove that the new word you've invented isn't just a synonym for an existing word you didn't know. And then you have to teach your new word to other people -- which can be difficult if they don't grok what it is you're talking about. You can do it by demonstration or by definition.

In computer science, it has been common to overload existing words (such as "tree," or words from other languages) as well as invent new ones. It's also possible to start with a phrase and then abbreviate it into an acronym. Genuine neologisms (such as "grok") usually only occur in science fiction. New words seem strange and feel funny coming out of our mouths until we get used to them. Mirroring an old word mitigates this somewhat.

One thing that hasn't been done often is the invention of new syntaxes. It can be done, but the important thing is to prove that the new syntax isn't just an alternate way of phrasing something that can be said using an existing syntax. It's less likely that there will be a syntax you don't know, because there are so few, but it's more likely that in the mere act of explaining the meaning of a new syntax you'll prove that the meaning can be expressed using the old syntax.

-- EdwardKiser

See also YouCantLearnSomethingUntilYouAlreadyAlmostKnowIt (applied to this, I think it means that new words/concepts are invented gradually).

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