Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Kristy's Neologism #1 & Language Samples #1-3

Neologism

#1 - "chilaxin'" used in a phone conversation with my friend on July 13th.
"What are you doing?"
"Just chilaxin'"

I'm really not sure how to spell this word but it is a combination of "chilling" and "relaxing" which seem to me to be pretty similar. I've heard it mostly in conversation with youth. Chill is a slang term which means to relax so it seems to be a repetitive term.


Language Sample

#1 - "It is like nailing jello to a wall." - Elizabeth Ellis in "Telling History Stories" during the first summer session.

This gives a concrete picture of the difficulty of doing something. We know what the texture and makeup of jello is. It is not very solid. If you tried to nail it to a wall it would simply slide down the wall. It would not stay. It gives a visual of something impossible to do. This phrase shows how impossible a task or situation is.

#2 - "If I'm lying, I'm dying." - Elizabeth Ellis in "Telling History Stories" during the first summer session.

Elizabeth used the phrase multiple times during class. There is the use of rhyme "lying" and "dying". It also shows the validity of the statement that came before (which I don't have) and the seriousness of what was said due to the fact that it is related to dying.

#3 - "That dog won't hunt." - Elizabeth Ellis in "Telling History Stories" during the first summer session.

This was used multiple times when Elizabeth was refering to something she did not believe. Though I don't know how many dogs are used for hunting these days, this again gives us a visual. Some dogs are naturally hunting dogs, it was was they were created to do, so if they are not hunting, something is wrong. In the same way this is a reference to something that is not right, there is something unbelievable. It doesn't fit.

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