[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

730.0. "Three words in one." by GRNDAD::STONE (>>>--He-went-that-a-way-->) Wed Oct 25 1989 15:21

     I've been trying to figure out a category which describes the
     word "whodunit".  It's obvious that it originated as a 
     contraction of three separate words (granting that they represent
     poor grammar) but it now appears in most dictionaries.  Some
     dictionaries indicate that it is _slang_, but others do not.

     Another which might fit in the same category is the word "albeit".

     Can anyone think of any others?

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
730.1Three 'in' wordsWAGON::DONHAMY matpocob het bonpocob.Wed Oct 25 1989 16:222
Insomuch, insofar, inasmuch.
730.2title for your replyLEDS::HAMBLENskazhi kishmish!Wed Oct 25 1989 17:353
	How does the seat of the pants get so shiny?

	Notwithstanding
730.3AITG::DERAMODaniel V. {AITG,ZFC}:: D'EramoWed Oct 25 1989 18:283
	nevertheless, nonetheless

	bytheway :-)
730.4GLIVET::RECKARDJon Reckard, 381-0878, ZKO3-2/T63Wed Oct 25 1989 18:313
nevertheless  whithersoever

how's 'bout 4?  inasmuchas  (or is that three plus?)
730.5Heretofore and Hereupon.SKIVT::ROGERSDamnadorum MultitudoWed Oct 25 1989 19:290
730.6RE -2IJSAPL::ELSENAARFractal of the universeWed Oct 25 1989 21:127
>how's 'bout 4?  inasmuchas  (or is that three plus?)

I thought it was two. And Spanish.

:-)

Arie
730.74!!!! 8*)WR1FOR::ADELMAN_AAAaron Adelman @WRO DTN 521-0200Thu Oct 26 1989 02:105
    
    Therefore.
   
        
    Aaron
730.8 a 5 worder !!CAM::MAZURIt ain't the meat, it's the lotion.Thu Oct 26 1989 17:581
    Idaknow, whatchamacallit.
730.9'skweat (Let's go eat)CNTROL::HENRIKSONBe excellent to each otherFri Oct 27 1989 06:380
730.10isn't that cheating? ;-)IJSAPL::ELSENAARFractal of the universeFri Oct 27 1989 12:369
>                          -< 'skweat (Let's go eat) >-

If you accept that one, I would like to share a Dutch one:

                       'tsr (wat is er)

meaning: "what's the matter".

Arie
730.11I need 33 letters 8{)WMOIS::M_KOWALEWICZznat ne znau, vedat ne vedauFri Oct 27 1989 16:202
		Albeit	
730.12AITG::DERAMODaniel V. {AITG,ZFC}:: D&#039;EramoFri Oct 27 1989 18:313
	Okay, so what's a word describing this category of "word"?

	Dan
730.13yawannaword, yagottawordPOOL::TRUMPLERThiotimoline sold hereFri Oct 27 1989 18:5710
    Re .12:
    
    "Etribusunum"
    
    "E Tribus Unum" appears on the town seal of West Newbury, MA.  It
    probably also appears on the seals of Newbury and Newburyport.
    
    And, of course, it fits the topic...
    
    >M
730.14Two types of bashedtogetherwordsHANNAH::DCLDavid LarrickFri Oct 27 1989 19:1214
It strikes me as odd that words in this category (relaxing, for the sake of
additional examples, the strict Rule of Three) fall into two sub-categories 
with entirely distinct characters:

1. Informal, humorous, whimsical, slang:  "whodunit", "whaddayacallit", 
   "gweet" (for "[let's] go eat"), etc.

2. Formal, stilted, even humorously and whimsically so:  "nonetheless", 
   "heretofore", etc.

I can't distinguish between these sub-categories any further than to observe
that newly-coined words are in the informal group, and older ones are in the 
formal group.  Does this distinction imply that "whodunit" will someday be a
humorously stilted word?  Perhaps the embedded grammo will delay that fate...
730.15TERZA::ZANEshadow jugglerFri Oct 27 1989 20:543
    ased (as I said)

730.16It's already accepted...GRNDAD::STONESPECIAL WHEN LITFri Oct 27 1989 22:4511
    
    Re: .14
    
    > 1. Informal, humorous, whimsical, slang:  "whodunit" ...
    
    > Does this distinction imply that "whodunit" will someday be a
      humorously stilted word?
    
    As I mentioned in the base note, "whodunit" appears in some
    dictionaries as an acceptable word, defined as: a detective or mystery
    story presented as a novel, play, or motion picture.
730.17thingymajigWELMTS::RISDONIs that all it takes?Sat Oct 28 1989 00:381
    
730.18Twenty words in one!BLAS03::FORBESBill Forbes - LDP EngrngSat Oct 28 1989 02:125
    "Umm" == "I heard what you said. I do not agree. I do not disagree.
                             ^
              I do not wish to comment further."
                                 ^^
    Bill
730.19tallboy!BERAQ::WHORLOWVenturers do it in the bushSun Oct 29 1989 22:1012
    G'day,
    
    
    Now Lewis Carroll loved 'portmanteau' words, and these must come close
    to that category, and since, by an earlier definition, thesse
    threeinones are stilted,
    
    perhaps these are 'Tallboy' words? or would that have to be
    a 'tallyoungmalechild' word?
    
    derek
    
730.20NooyawkeseCTOAVX::OAKESIts Deja Vu all over again...Mon Oct 30 1989 17:123
    
    
    Howbout "Djeetyet"?  (Did you eat yet?)
730.21This note suffers from triplogarrheaGLIVET::RECKARDJon Reckard, 381-0878, ZKO3-2/T63Mon Oct 30 1989 18:210
730.22VINO::MCGLINCHEYSancho! My Armor! My TECO Macros!Mon Oct 30 1989 18:4515
    
    re: .20:
    
    	Djeetjet? 	The usual reply is: "notjetjoo?"
    
    	How about: 
    
    		'Caljabudja', as in "I caljabudja weren't home so I
    				     left a message on yer machine."
    
    	-- Glinch
    
    
    
    
730.23it was a dark and stormy nightCHEFS::BUXTONTue Oct 31 1989 14:279
    Wherewithal  Whereupon(?)  Whensoever  Nevertheless  are mostly
    OK but how about...
    
    Nightingale! Newfoundland? Trinitroluene the last of which could
    cause an explosion of indignation!
    
    I think my dictionary is full of them so I'll stop tri-ing.
    
    Bucko...
730.24commonplace (<=common + place)MARVIN::KNOWLESRunning old protocolMon Nov 06 1989 14:4811
    �I think my dictionary is full of them 
    
    Yes. People who stick words together (usually for some
    historical reason - like a leap in technology, but often
    because of some other need [like the simple lack of a one-word
    ready-made alternative]) often create new words.  My favourite's
    `atone' (being the agglutination of at and one); but that only
    has two roots [unless, of course - I wonder what the derivation of
    `one' is ...]
    
    b
730.25CALLME::MR_TOPAZTue Nov 07 1989 16:284
       
       Gladiator
       
       --Mr Topaz
730.26knowwhatimean Vern!PNO::ANICICHThu Nov 09 1989 02:243
    I
    thoughttheyranwordstogetherbecausetherewasn'tenoughroomonthelinetogetitallin
    
730.27better late than never?TLE::RANDALLliving on another planetTue Jan 02 1990 22:1614
    Compounding of existing words or word parts has historically been
    the English language's favorite way of creating new words.
    
    Latin prefixes, Greek suffixes, nouns and verbs from every
    language we've had contact with -- and they all get mishmashed
    together into new words to suit the needs of the day.  
    
    Whether those words are written as one word (another), a
    hyphenated word (number-cruncher), or as two words (jumbo jet) is
    fairly random, though they tend to start as hyphenated and move to
    one end or the other.
    
    --bonnie
    
730.28We live and learnMARVIN::KNOWLESRunning old protocolWed Jan 03 1990 15:2412
    Re .-1
    
    I hadn't thought of that (about moving from the hyphenated form to
    either one or two words).  I'd noticed the randomness, but guessed
    that the movement was from two (or more) words (e.g. black bird)
    via the hypenated form to one word (e.g. blackbird) - not that
    that's much of an example anyway, as a female blackbird is a brown
    bird.
    
    Thanks for the info.
    
    b
730.29yeah, sometimesTLE::RANDALLliving on another planetWed Jan 03 1990 21:167
    Well, sometimes it does go that way.  The only thing consistent
    about the English language is its consistency.
    
    And its wonderful, powerful, dynamism.
    
    --bonnie
    
730.30You're welcome, bonnieSSGBPM::BPM5::KENAHThe stars of SagittariusThu Jan 04 1990 00:303
    ...is its INconsistency.
    
    					andrew
730.31not firing on all cylinders yetTLE::RANDALLliving on another planetThu Jan 04 1990 14:345
    Thank you.  That's what I meant to say.
    
    I'll plead brain malfunction caused by maternity leave . . .
    
    --bonnie