site banner

Friday Fun Thread for February 24, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

1
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

GenZ neologisms. Every passing day I slowly find myself using more and more of them. The latest addition to my arsenal is "rizz", and its variation of "w rizz" and "l rizz". To those unaware rizz is what the millenials called "game", the ability to swoon the other gender. I dont think any such proper phrase exists that succintly sums up the concept of win rizz and lose rizz. New phrases for new things.

In my headcannon, neologisms dont replace old words/ideas, they come into existence to describe a subtle variation of a situation/experience that the old phrase didnt demarcate well enough. Rizz is not the same thing as game or even charisma, its a superset of those concepts. Bussing isnt delicious, it means delicious and addicting. These specialized neologisms might just dilute over time into their old vague versions. And the day I cant keep up, ill look like an old man using old language.

People used to think that the spread of modern telecommunications would eliminate all language and dialect differences, but I find it fascinating to observe that at the same time developing countries around the world are crushing local languages and dialects with the power of public schooling, the rate of language change has probably been accelerated by the rapid dispersal of new memes and vocabulary online.

Combined with the splintering of the internet into thousands of separate communities defined by common interest or ideology, each with their own way of speaking, I can envision a time when in addition to our national languages we must all be conversant in entirely different languages unique to these groups.