Dennisism #6: Neologism

The following is the definition of "neologism" according to the dictionary...

Dictionary.com, neologism: [1] a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase. [2] the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words. [3] a new doctrine, especially a new interpretation of sacred writings. [4] Psychiatry. a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.

It is the 4th definition that applies to Dennis Marks (AKA dmarks). A Dennisism *is* a neologism, or a word that is only understood by the speaker (in this case, Dennis). But that is NOT how Dennis defines "neologism".

A while back I used the word "truthy" in a conversation with Dennis. Dennis objected to the word, declaring it to be created by Stephen Colbert, and therefore new and a "neologism".

But, as it turns out, Dennis was wrong, as I pointed out to him originally, the term "truthiness" existed before Stephen Colbert used it. In regards to "truthiness", Wikipedia notes the following...

Linguist and OED consultant Benjamin Zimmer pointed out that the word "truthiness" already had a history in literature and appears in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), as a derivation of truthy, and The Century Dictionary, both of which indicate it as rare or dialectal, and to be defined more straightforwardly as "truthfulness, faithfulness" (Source: Wikipedia/Truthiness.

Therefore "truthy" is not a new word because it has had a dictionary entry for quite some time. And, therefore, it is also not a "neologism".

So, when Dennis claimed that "I avoid trendy neologisms", he must have been talking about "new words" created or used by others (or words he incorrectly perceives to be new, even when they are not). I say this because he surely comes up with a LOT of his own. Specifically I refer to the neologisms of Dennis I have documented here (using the term "Dennisism").

But I didn't know until now that the schizoid was redefining neologism as a putdown that only applies when people use words he doesn't like in arguments against him. "Truthy", in the example previously cited. But Dennis thinks coming up with his own new words and redefinitions is just fine. Although, in regards to the redefinitions, I'm just about positive he does not even know he's doing it. He actually believes that the dictionary agrees with him!

However, in regards to these invented words - the ones based on "canard" that I covered in my last Dennisism installment - those he has got to know aren't real.

Or, maybe he does think they're real. Apparently his buddy Lester Nation does, because when I pointed out that "canardo" is not a real word, Lester responded with the American Heritage Dictionary definition for "canard".

And, in response to that, the delusional Dennis imagined a victory (Lester proving to me that "canard" is a word, when we were actually talking about "canardo"), and voiced his agreement with Lester's imagined victory... exchange as follows...

rAtional nAtion: American Heritage Dictionary: ca·nard: Top Home >Library >Literature & Language >Dictionary (kə-närd') pronunciation n. An unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story. A short winglike control surface projecting from the fuselage of an aircraft, such as a space shuttle, mounted forward of the main wing and serving as a horizontal stabilizer. An aircraft whose horizontal stabilizing surfaces are forward of the main wing. [French, duck, canard, probably from the phrase vendre un canard à moitié, to sell half a duck, to swindle, from Old French quanart, duck, from caner, to cackle, of imitative origin.] Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/canard#ixzz38Qcj71sQ Well Dervish, looks like there is a reality here you wish not revealed eh? :-) (7/24/2014 06:44:00 PM EDT). dmarks: Enlightening, RN. I expect a lot more self-righteous whining in reaction to this... (7/24/2014 07:34:00 PM EDT).

Obviously Dennis the dumb thinks Lester got the better of me with his response proving that canard is a word, even though I never said it wasn't. What I think we're actually dealing with here is a reality that Lester and Dennis "wish not revealed". Not even to themselves.

That reality? That they're both nuts. Enlightening? Not really, no. Those of us who aren't nuts realized this about Dennis and Lester long ago. This is nothing to whine about, however - self righteously or otherwise. It is simply a fact I have discerned by (perhaps foolishly) engaging these two in conversation.

TADM #53

Dennisism #5: Canard, Canardo, Canardish, Canarding, Canard-bait, El Canardo

This is the fifth installment that examines words or phrases that Dennis Marks (AKA dmarks) has rewritten to serve his own purposes. See here for the first installment and here for the post in which I explain (in greater detail) what a "Dennisism" is.

In this case, the term "Canardo" originated with the blogger Lester Nation. (AKA "rAtional" nAtion uSA). This blogger is the one who originally came up with the term (in reference to yours truly). Or he was the first to use it in regards to me. He claims he read it elsewhere, but refuses to cite a source. (Note: see update below. The source has now been discovered).

None-the-less I am attributing "canardo" to Dennis, as he took Lester's creation and ran like the wind, making it his own, as well as coming up with MANY derivatives. Variations on the word such as "canardish", which is an adjective to describe something that has the characteristics of a lie or the quality of one who is a liar; "canarding", which is the act of lie telling; "canard-bait", which is a "truth" that might elicit lies from another; "El Canardo", which is an insult name you might call someone you're accusing of lying, and, finally, the term "frying up in canardo oil", which (I guess) would be the same as telling someone you caught them red-handed lying.

All these variants of the word "canard" - all to accuse ME of being a liar - which is ironic, given the fact that it is Dennis who lies (as documented on this blog)... and which is why I recently declared Dennis to be the King Canardo.

Given Dennis' status as the king of canards, it is quite LOL-able that he is always complaining about ME starting a "crap-fest" (which is another neologism Lester invented and and Dennis ran with). A "crap-fest" being back and forth insult-trading, as opposed to healthy constructive debate.

But, that one person works so hard to invent his own "canard"-based pseudo neologisms in order to call another person a liar; is that not crap-festing of the highest order? Anyway, what this points to, I think, is that Dennis is QUITE obsessed with lying. Falsely calling others on it when he's the the one who is actually guilty of it (in that he lies all the time).

(for the record "canarding" might not be a variant that Dennis actually used, as I could not find an example; which is why there is no link. I could swear I saw him use it somewhere, however. Possibly in a deleted comment. Dennis has a habit of deleting comments whenever he notices me linking to them).

6/19/2015 Update: rAtional nAtion said previously (in a 7/25/2014 comment)... "In was in that context that the word Canardo, picked up from another fine wordsmith and operator of another blog was used. ... RN did not create Canardo, I, the owner of RN, simply borrowed and used Canardo in the manner it was intended".

I did not, at the time, know who the hell he was referring to... so I ignored what he said. Only recently, whilst visiting the blog Who's Your Daddy, did I notice another blogger using "canardo" (another blogger beside Lester and Dennis). In fact, this other blogger used/uses it quite frequently. That blogger? FreeThinke (see here for one example of a Freethinke use of "canardo").

What is odd about rAtional borrowing this pseudo neologism is that, while rAtional compliments FreeThinke, FreeThinke hates rAtional's guts (here Freethinke refers to rAtional as "Nursie Pooh"... because RN, while standing for "rAtional nAtion" also is an abbreviation for "Registered Nurse").

Anyway, the mystery is now solved. rAtional, the dude who refers to FreeThinke fawningly as "another fine wordsmith", was originally coined by Freethinke (although he may have picked it up elsewhere). I will continue to refer to "canardo" as a "Dennisism", however, due to the many (and I'm talking MANY) variants Dennis came up with (on his own). Neither rAtional nor Freethinke have (to my knowledge) used any of these other variants.

TADM #52