A retronym is a word coined to distinguish something new from an older, more generic version, such as electric guitar or clock radio. A couple of new retronyms are fine water, or “unprocessed water that reflects a region’s terroir” and water sommelier, a professional who procures and dispenses such water to a growing number of fine water enthusiasts. This is part of a complete episode.
I was drawn to the Retronym discussion. I remember that when I was a kid, supermarkets sold both Cereal and Cold Cereal. Now, they sell Cereal (née Cold Cereal) and Hot Cereal (née Cereal). That’s a swap in retronyms. What would you call that, an antallnym? (Thanks to AI for finding antallasso and antallagi meaning swap).
The so-called “lifestyle influencer accent” you hear in videos on TikTok and YouTube, where someone speaks with rising tones at the end of sentences and phrases, suggesting that they’re about to say something important, is a form of what linguists...
Meg in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, gets why the state highway department encourages drivers to use their blinkers when changing lanes, but placing a digital sign at the Sagamore Bridge that reads Use Ya Blinkah is, well, a lexical bridge too far. Meg’s...
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I was drawn to the Retronym discussion. I remember that when I was a kid, supermarkets sold both Cereal and Cold Cereal. Now, they sell Cereal (née Cold Cereal) and Hot Cereal (née Cereal). That’s a swap in retronyms. What would you call that, an antallnym? (Thanks to AI for finding antallasso and antallagi meaning swap).