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Evolving shades of meaning (was Re: LUNATIC again)

From:/Joe Mondello <rugpretzel@...>
Date:Sunday, November 8, 1998, 5:06
In a message dated 11/7/98 5:46:20 PM Eastern Standard Time, dgd@CS.BU.EDU
writes:

> >I think that when people first use a slang expression, the wordsdo have > close > >association with a more standard equivalent, but then the metaphorical > >extensions start growing. "Cool" does not mean what it did when I > >was a kid, when it > >could in most cases have been exactlyu replaced by a number of other words > >with no change ion meaning, in the typical slang usage. If there were > >subtleties of meaning in the various slang words of approval, they were > lost > >on me.
This is why, in my projects, i often write several synoyms for adjectives into the language, then gradually in usage create a change in meaning. eg. BEFORE: gluun, tref, thush: new AFTER: gluun: new tref: innovative, never before seen. thush: variant, a [new] member of a [new] subcategory does anyone else do this? pacs precs joe Mondello