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Can the company name " Nintendo" be classified as a neologism of the 1980s when used instead of the term "video game from Nintendo" or " video game console from Nintendo"? Usage examples: "to play Nintendo", "I'm taking the Nintendo with me on vacation." – Gebu ( talk) 11:01, 14 March 2021 (UTC) edited 14:33, 14 March 2021 (UTC)
I am in the process of adding articles to the Category:Neologisms (German) in the German Wikipedia.) Neologism is such an ill-defined term that having Wikipedia categories based on it strikes me as a fool's errand. Our article defines it as a term "that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language", but at what point? Any term that has been accepted was in the process of entering common use at some point, and any term that didn't catch on may have been a neologism at one point but it no longer is. So categories like " 1980s neologisms" seem like oxymorons if our definition is to be believed. Laptop, jumping the shark, millennials, and queer certainly aren't in the process of entering common use, are they?
I can attest that my parents referred to my brother as "playing Nintendo" no matter which console he was actually using at the time. Of course, that's just anecdotal.-- Khajidha ( talk) 14:50, 14 March 2021 (UTC)
Language desk | ||
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< March 13 | << Feb | March | Apr >> | March 15 > |
Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives |
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The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages. |
Can the company name " Nintendo" be classified as a neologism of the 1980s when used instead of the term "video game from Nintendo" or " video game console from Nintendo"? Usage examples: "to play Nintendo", "I'm taking the Nintendo with me on vacation." – Gebu ( talk) 11:01, 14 March 2021 (UTC) edited 14:33, 14 March 2021 (UTC)
I am in the process of adding articles to the Category:Neologisms (German) in the German Wikipedia.) Neologism is such an ill-defined term that having Wikipedia categories based on it strikes me as a fool's errand. Our article defines it as a term "that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language", but at what point? Any term that has been accepted was in the process of entering common use at some point, and any term that didn't catch on may have been a neologism at one point but it no longer is. So categories like " 1980s neologisms" seem like oxymorons if our definition is to be believed. Laptop, jumping the shark, millennials, and queer certainly aren't in the process of entering common use, are they?
I can attest that my parents referred to my brother as "playing Nintendo" no matter which console he was actually using at the time. Of course, that's just anecdotal.-- Khajidha ( talk) 14:50, 14 March 2021 (UTC)