The Neophrastic Superfluary
Every now and then, we find ourselves in need of a word that doesn’t exist. Take, for instance, the burst of elation one feels when he discovers that his cup still contains a trace of coffee when he previously deemed it empty. The Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t have a word for such an occasion. But this is not the OED: it’s the Neophrastic Superfluary, home to words like coffeelation and its foil, decafejection.
su·per·flu·ary \suˈpər-flu-ɛr-i\ n pl. su·per·flu·ar·i·a \-ɛriə\ a dictionary filled with superfluous words of the editor’s own creation
While most of the words in the NS are admittedly superfluous (hence the title), readers may delight in closing gaps in the English language while simultaneously astounding their friends with lexical rarities. And, unless any of these words fall into the main verve of our vernacular, they will remain rarities, which therefore makes them impressive.
Previously every Sunday and Wednesday at midnight EST, and now just whenever I come up with one, I inaugurate a new definition into the digital pages of the Neophrastic Superfluary (sometimes two if they’re related). Each new word has an accompanying contextual sentence so that the informed reader can more correctly ostracize his friends.
Click Here for a list of entries.
Wow! That would be great!! I will definitely be one devoted reader.
Glad to know I’m not preaching these new words to a ghost audience.
Have you already included dysvoxia in your superfluary?
I haven’t seen it, but perhaps I’ve not searched long enough.
If not, would you consider its addition to your tome?
It is a very useful noun that names the unfortunate condition of one’s tone of voice unintentionally contradicting one’s intended meaning. i.e. the delivery of one’s thought with a tone that is percieved by the listener to be sarcastic, ironic or facetious.
“Oh dear, my dysvoxia has caused you to misinterpret me; I sincerely think your baby truly has very nice ears.”
Thanks, Dana! Dysvoxia is a great addition to the Superfluary and a wonderful remnant for posterity.
I’m musing about related words. I did a search on dysvoxia and it was misappropriated to name another conditon.
http://www.p45.net/boards/archive/index.php/t-65872.html
joon3rd December 2004, 04:16 PM
Originally posted by helloinsane
“Reminds me - a friend has an extraordinary ability to misuse and invent words [to often hilarious effect]. Having discussed this with several erudite individuals we think this condition should be known as dysvoxia. Any thoughts? ”
***
My thoughts are that as vox means voice, helloinsane’s condition needs a name that indicates a vocabulary disorder. I’m still mulling over the best
construction of an appropriate word for that definition…
Also, as I do not suffer from the problem described above, but I do have frequent bouts of incorrect tone of voice, I’m going to continue to promote my word with the definition I actually need.
I’ve noticed your tendency to give multiple definitions for your entries. Is this for comedic effect, or to make the words more useful, or because known words usually do have more than one meaning and in so doing you make these new words more real?
Dana:
I did the same search and I agree that helloinsane’s use of your term is anything but adequate. To describe an extraordinary ability to misuse and invent new words, I might use neovocabulism or semantivariation.
I include pronunciation, multiple definitions, and multiple examples (and now an etymology too) in my entries to make them funnier through comic realism, I suppose. Also, new words don’t usually catch on too easily, so having multiple uses makes them more pliable.
Kevin
Well, I love everything about your entries, esp. the improvements upon my word when you added it. Thank you!
I hope you’ll add one or the other of those lovely new words. Or create a shade of meaning between them and include both. May I suggest
neovocabulism - a definition of what you are doing with your superfluary; thoughtfully creating new words with artful use of roots and pre/suf/in/fixes
semantivariation - helloinsane’s definition
Here’s another one I recently invented (being a shiny young college student, you may not have much use for this one, but parents everywhere will recognize this):
(peed”-ee-uh-trex’-pluh-tiv) forgive my lack of phonemic symbols
pediatrexpletive - the gutteral-glottal utterance produced by pre-verbal toddlers and emerging vocabulary pre-schoolers to express extreme displeasure, outrage, and frustration. More commonly known as “the two-year-old-F-you”
“The tiny girl’s opposition to being denied a second serving of cake was shockingly displayed in a frenzied paroxysm of spastic thrashing and pediatrexpletives.”