Michele Rasore
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Copyright 2007 Michele Rasore.
All rights reserved.
The usual stuff.

User generated content is the official obsession of the first decade of the XXI century.

A century ago we were blessed by the debauchery of the soon to fall Austro-Hungarian empire, today the whiff of decadence transpires through spotty teenagers posting videos of flaming farts on Youtube, we lowered a bit the standard. We better hope that we are not due for a bout of Spanish fever I'm afraid, for all the signs are there.
User generated vocabulary applies the User Generated Content philosophy to language. In reality, I personally suspect that language might have been the first system of information exchange unwittingly embracing this philosophy (this due to its nature, I will expand on this point sometimes in the future).
As in any system open to UGC the end result is usually of different shades of quality, my aim is to present the rather bizarre outcomes that this process can deliver.
In this project you will find an insight into the evolution (or destruction, it clearly depends on your point of view) of the English language.
Every week or fortnight I will present a selected word from Merriam Webster Online Open Dictionary, for more horror (or pleasure) please visit their website.

If you had any doubts concerning flaming farts as a contemporary form of expression you will be surprised by its widespread appeal in the UGC arena. Here is a series of links of some interest:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2ITicU-ko&feature=related&locale=en_US&persist_locale=1
(768,102 hits and counting)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ipDMPNSYM&feature=related
(Such enthusiasm is rarely seen in modern life)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G30Ff5zSShE&feature=related
(notable for their quasi-scientific and understated approach to the discourse)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fixy5ElhXTA&feature=related
(Someone who seems not afraid to bring the discipline to its extreme)

If you would rather deal with language change than with flaming farts here you will find a really quick introduction to the topic, from there you can depart for a more serious exploration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_change
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/changing-voices/

THE WORDS

bibliopathic (adjective) : hoarding or hiding books
He was at the library, where he satisfied his bibliopathic nature.
Retrieved on 18/11/08

frightseeing (noun) : a sightseeing excursion devoted to the supernatural
I plan on doing a little frightseeing while I am in town by going on a walking ghost tour.
Retrieved on 18/11/08

asianovela (noun) : a telenovela produced in an Asian country
Philippine television has been dominated by asianovelas, or those drama series from Taiwan and Korea dubbed in Tagalog.
Retrieved on 18/11/08

chesticles (noun) : small breasts
Retrieved on 18/11/08

sous-cheftestant (noun) : a sous-chef competing in a culinary cook off
The sous-cheftestants are so fast that I think their chef's team will win!
Retrieved on 18/11/08

gigapig (noun) : one that stores or requires large digital files.
While the software application is useful for serving as a roladex, it is a gigapig when it comes to how much hard drive space is needed to store just the application.
Retrieved on 18/11/08

unwordulous (adjective) : adjective used to describe a person who makes up stupid words because he/she doesn't have the vocabulary. These words are then submitted to dictionary websites.
Retrieved on 10/8/08

poultrygeist (noun) : a noisy, mischievous chicken that haunts a farm and is held to be responsible for unexplained noises and occurrences.
e.g."Farmer Bob believed that his farm was haunted by a poultrygeist because he could not understand why his glasses kept on going missing."
Retrieved on 31/7/08

bandemonium (noun): The public frenzy that is created by a popular band.
e.g."The annual Ozzfest is like total bandemonium dude"

songstipation (noun) : the state of having a song stuck in your mind
e.g."Nothing could stop the songstipation from the tune I heard yesterday.

nonversation (noun) : Non + Conversation. Meaningless conversation to gap the awkwardness of silence. Conversation about weather for example.
e.g. "While awaiting the bus, I had a nonversation with a stranger standing beside me."