Can someone please explain the word "Scandiwegan" to me?
I don't get it.
I mean, I understand that it's a portmanteau of "Scandinavian" and "Norweigan", used to indicate as being in the general style of, or having originated from, Scandinavia or Norway. I've even used the word myself in the past. The thing is, we already have a word for that - "Scandinavian".
Yes, making up words is fun. Creating new words (or even appropriating old words) to encapsulate ideas that are otherwise hard to articulate, especially by smooshing existing words together in a cromulent fashion such that a listener can figure out exactly what you mean without having to explain yourself, can be quite rewarding. "The Meaning of Liff" and "The New Hacker's Dictionary" are both great books.
Now, if someone were to coin the phrase "Finlinavian", that would make sense. The meaning might not be quite as obvious as "Scandiwegan", but it would at least allow you to say something you couldn't easily say before.
But "Scandiwegan"? It saves you one letter, or one syllable. It's essentially useless.
Why?
I mean, I understand that it's a portmanteau of "Scandinavian" and "Norweigan", used to indicate as being in the general style of, or having originated from, Scandinavia or Norway. I've even used the word myself in the past. The thing is, we already have a word for that - "Scandinavian".
Yes, making up words is fun. Creating new words (or even appropriating old words) to encapsulate ideas that are otherwise hard to articulate, especially by smooshing existing words together in a cromulent fashion such that a listener can figure out exactly what you mean without having to explain yourself, can be quite rewarding. "The Meaning of Liff" and "The New Hacker's Dictionary" are both great books.
Now, if someone were to coin the phrase "Finlinavian", that would make sense. The meaning might not be quite as obvious as "Scandiwegan", but it would at least allow you to say something you couldn't easily say before.
But "Scandiwegan"? It saves you one letter, or one syllable. It's essentially useless.
Why?