New Words and Their Impacts
Neologisms are new words or expressions that appear in a language, either to name concepts, objects or phenomena that did not previously exist. They can arise due to the need for cultural adaptation, technological changes or even social innovations. The use of neologisms reflects the dynamics and evolution of languages.
There are two main types of neologism: formal or lexical, which refers to the creation of a new word, such as "selfie" (a photo taken of oneself), and conceptual or semantic, which occurs when an existing word takes on a new meaning, such as "mouse", which was previously just "rato" and now also refers to a computer device.
It is important to highlight the difference between neologism and loanword. While a neologism is a new word or a new use of an existing word in the language, loanword refers to the borrowing of words from other languages, such as "marketing" or "web". Loanisms are not original creations of the language, but rather adaptations of foreign words that still preserve their original form.
These linguistic processes demonstrate how language is constantly changing, reflecting society and the changes that accompany it.
Did you know??