Make Your Own Adjectives

[Baburra]

I'm sure some of you have heard some "invented" terms once in a while, the ones that are said by the speaker because it will obviously be understood by the audience. The best example I have of this is when people use nouns as adjectives, such as saying "sirup-y" or "lemon-y".

Of course, there are real ones like "woody" or "grainy", but as for the others, I wonder sometimes if they are officially recognized, but I sure do appreciate them. I understand things a lot more when they are compared to similar objects.

What do you guys think of these? Do you have some other notable examples?

[Daedalus]

That reminds me of the word 'cupboardy'. It comes from the British comedy show "Little Britain", which has a hypnotist character, Kenny Craig. In any situation, he 'hypnotises' people to make them believe what he wants them to (except it's revealed people generally just play along with him). In one scene, Kenny is playing Scrabble with his mother and he puts down the word 'cupboardy'. His mother says it's not a real word, but he insists it is, meaning something small, or cupboard-like. He then of course hypnotises her to make her think he's right.

[jcannon]

We do this constantly. We also frequently turn words into verbs. An example from just earlier today -- I told a friend I was going to "couch" a corner of the room. By saying this, I meant that I was going to take an empty corner of the room and put a couch in it. It isn't proper speech at all because it's becoming more and more typical for English users to speak this way in casual conversation.

[MyDigitalpoint]

I believe that some terms don't need overall recognition but it's enough that you and people around you know what your invented, mispelled-on-purpose or distorted words mean.

A friend of mine whose name starts with "Z" likes to change everything thiZ way, and all of us around her know what she meanZ by MiZiZiPi, MaZachuZetZ or any other thingie that she inventZ including her nickname "Gatey" rather than the Gate Keeper she is

[Mrs17716]

I do this a lot, only because I can't think of a good enough word to describe what I'm talking about...so I make up my own

[justinroberts]

I wouldn't say it's my own because I'm sure others have used it, but it isn't an official word. The adjective I would create is lol. Lol is an acronym and not a word but if it were a word it'd be a cool adjective. For example: That guy is so lol, meaning, That guy is so funny. It's a shorter version of saying funny or hilarious so it can actually help!

[SpiralArchitect]

Well I am probably unimaginative but I don't do a lot of these. The self created adjectives I do come up with on rare occasions are swiftly forgotten. All for the best I suppose. :grin:

[Baburra]

We do this constantly. We also frequently turn words into verbs. An example from just earlier today -- I told a friend I was going to "couch" a corner of the room. By saying this, I meant that I was going to take an empty corner of the room and put a couch in it. It isn't proper speech at all because it's becoming more and more typical for English users to speak this way in casual conversation.

We do this too! I think it's because we're too lazy to speak properly sometimes, or our minds just couldn't come up with the proper structure fast enough.  :wacky: This usually happens to us when we're tired or bored.

[Kotro]

William Strunk Jr. would be rolling in his grave if news of this topic got to him! 

Personally I think it's one of the great strenghts of the English language, this abbility to constantly reinvent itself and add more and more, and adapting what's already there. Most languages aren't as flexible, and they are paying the price by loosing their former influence (looking at you, French).

I can be as curmudgeony as Mr. Strunk on some occasion where I think adjectivation was taken to far (like when the problem lies in the speaker's own lack of vocabulary knowledge), but in general I am open to these inventions.

[rodserd]

I'm sure I've come up with a ton of these in my life but I cannot imagine one now.  Maybe I will come back when my creative juices are flowing better.

[atomiczagnut]

I think this is perfectly acceptable English.  You can already turn any verb into a noun by simply slapping the "-ing" suffix on it.  This is called a gerund.  Why not turn nouns into adjectives with a "-y" or adverbs with an "-ly".  It sounds kinda funny, but this means it be used for great comedic effect.  Anyone with a decent grasp of the English language will surely understand your intention.

Turning nouns into verbs can be done without even adding a suffix, and that's how a lot of new words are ending up in the dictionary these days.  "Google" became "to google" rather quickly, and is now in the OED.

[Baburra]

"Google" became "to google" rather quickly, and is now in the OED.

You're right. I've almost forgotten that it wasn't originally a verb because so many people just seemed to naturally use it. I know I did.

[Monox D. I-Fly]

On 11/12/2013 at 8:15 AM, MyDigitalpoint said:

I believe that some terms don't need overall recognition but it's enough that you and people around you know what your invented, mispelled-on-purpose or distorted words mean.

 

A friend of mine whose name starts with "Z" likes to change everything thiZ way, and all of us around her know what she meanZ by MiZiZiPi, MaZachuZetZ or any other thingie that she inventZ including her nickname "Gatey" rather than the Gate Keeper she is

I wonder how old she was at the time...