Duonyms
Duonyms
(OP)
Curiosity, they say, killed the cat.
While on the Flowcontrol web site I noted a link to "Duonyms" and couldn't resist.
If you're as curious as I am, then you'll follow the link. If not.....
http://www.flowresearch.com/duonyms.htm
I'll give you a clue to what you might find: an alternative term for the words you will find would be "portmanteau"; examples are to be found in the German language usually.
While on the Flowcontrol web site I noted a link to "Duonyms" and couldn't resist.
If you're as curious as I am, then you'll follow the link. If not.....
http://www.flowresearch.com/duonyms.htm
I'll give you a clue to what you might find: an alternative term for the words you will find would be "portmanteau"; examples are to be found in the German language usually.
JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.
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RE: Duonyms
Wouldn't "greenmusic" be the musical accompaniment of the environmental movement? From my teenage years I have an entirely different definition of "blackhead".
And I've always called the person with no apparent signs of a brain not a "braindeadhead" (like too many of these, a riff on "deadhead") but "dain-bramaged"
in other contexts ... like this forum ... }
And when you get to phrases like "zippyspiritedfunpersonal", I think I'll just retreat and dust off my high school German.
RE: Duonyms
Donau = Danube (river)
Dampfschiff = steamboat
Fahrt = transport
Gesellschaft = society, corporation, company
Kapitaen = captain
This is not a nonsense word : There actually is an existant company called the "Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft" or translated "Danube River Steamboat Transport Company" and the captain of one of their ships (resp. steamboats) would carry this title.
Just in case anybody thinks I made a spelling error : The "s" after "fahrt" and "gesellschaft" are because these parts of the composite word are in the genitive case (very much like in English, where "John's car" would mean "a car belonging to John", the only difference being the use of an apostrophe in English but no apostrophe in German). There are only two "ff" when combining "Schiff" + "Fahrt" = "Schiffahrt" because in German grammar there is a rule that a third letter must be dropped.
RE: Duonyms
JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
RE: Duonyms
On the other hand, in terms of the "old spelling rules", when another consonant follows a "triple consonant" configuration, these stay triple. Example : "Sauerstoff" + "Flasche" = "Sauerstoffflasche" (translation "bottle of oxygen" meaning a steel flask filled with oxygen under pressure, the kind used in welding or for scuba diving).
In the "new spelling rules" the issue was simplified and now, regardless if a vowel or a consonant follows, one is dropped and a "double consonant" is used. This means that now "Sauerstofflasche" would be the correct spelling.
Lots of "old-timers" (like me) don't really care and still adhere to the "old rules".
RE: Duonyms
I think the only logical "languages" don't involve words.
David
RE: Duonyms
speaking of multi..., it irks me no end to hear the term multimedia apparently used for describing... But that belongs on another thread.
Jesus is THE life,
Leonard
RE: Duonyms
RE: Duonyms
Good excuse or rather reason. I was just being onery.
Jesus is THE life,
Leonard
RE: Duonyms
-Mark
RE: Duonyms
I always heard that word as "ornery" as in "that dude is downright ornery."
Patricia Lougheed
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.
RE: Duonyms
Thanks for the correction. The onus should have been on me.
Jesus is THE life,
Leonard
RE: Duonyms
Hmmm - looked at the site - what a trivial load of old nerdbaloneyballshite. I'm sure the good compiler has found all the examples he or she has quoted). I've seen stuff like this in my son's 3rd rate regional skateboarding magazine but there it's part of the technique of using cool code-words to make the reader think he's part of an elite.
Surely they have mostly been invented as Dilbert type fun words (funwords?) What's clever about running words together like 'girlofmydreams' ?
Some are obvious and useful - few would complain about redhead or shareware - but does anyone seriously call a colour 'fireenginered'? Or a word for a cat which sits on a laser printer? These would all be much more comprehensible if hyphenated or as separate words, and might get through the spell checker.
But I do like 'vendorbender' because the rhyming element makes it humorous.
I do hope the perpetrator of this website doesn't take it too seriously.
RE: Duonyms