Fifty Years among the New Words
A Dictionary of Neologisms 1941–1991

This book, first published in 1992, is a unique repository of language use from 1941–91.

John Algeo (Edited by)

9780521449717, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 July 1993

268 pages
27.9 x 21 x 1.4 cm, 0.61 kg

"A fascinating book about new words and new expressions, how they arose, their original or early meanings and current usage....a living tale of our contemporary society....Highly recommended for students and all those interested in the words and their etymology." Diogenis Modernos, Xponika

American Speech, the journal of the American Dialect Society has included a regular collection of neologisms called 'Among the New Words'. One issue, for example, includes four quotations for 'date rape,' two for 'designated driver,' and six for 'DNA fingerprinting,' 'intifada', and other current terms. Complete documentation is given for all citations, which are fuller than those given in most dictionaries. At the time these terms appeared in 'Among the New Words', they appeared in none of the major dictionaries. A survey of 'Among the New Words' can therefore reveal much about the origin and early use of these expressions and the social climate in which they prospered. Now this valuable resource is available in one volume, first published in 1992. The original articles themselves are reproduced and John Algeo has prepared a complete index, with glossary, to every word and expression included in the 113 installments of 'Among the New Words'. It is a unique repository of language use from 1941–91.

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Collecting new words
The making of new words
The motives for new words
References
Index of new words with glosses
Index of contributors
Among the new words, 1941–91.

Subject Areas: Lexicography [CFM]