NEW WORDS WANTED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 31 January 1925, Page 16

NEW WORDS WANTED.

One of the finest writers of modern prose nas justly remanded tnat **Ve-.s-,om gi.es laws to language” u)oiis Arthur Jones •in uie Daily Ohronic.e). \ ury lew men, certainly no children jo-tlii/, w0..1d led insulted if they were sailed “naughty”; out in ohapespeart’* time tlie teun meant a ueunite and mpleasant reproach. English is one of the richest of European languages, nut it is not so jiliant or elastic as many others with much poorer vocabularies. We have not tlie charming liMiiiiuti.es which malte Italian so attractive and intimate; nor can we express as easily as the French the fine shades of meaning, the nuances of a phrase, so slight yet which; can mean so much.

Portmaneau words, such as “insiiiuindo,” “incoho ie,” “sweedle,” a p o ess well known to husbands, are coined, but do not pass into general use. English is frequently- enriched by terms of American slang, which are always vigorous and racy, and often amusing. In spite of this, there is still a need for many new words. For instance, a. divorced woman is a divorcee, but the masculine of that word is neve.* applied. A woman flirt is a coquette, but what is a man flirt?—unless .you accept the Americanism, “lounge lizard.” Why is it we have no word for the female cad? A linquistic friend of mine tells .me that most European languages are without a. word for female cad. Perhaps at the next international meeting of Espernntists some learned nrcfess'' will oblige by supplying this long-felt want.

When shall we hit on the happy term for a woman doctor? The reason, of course, that we have no feminine for all these is that only in the. last. years or so we ihave recognised that women have the right to. do pret.t well the same as men, and must, thcrf oT- e , undertke the same responsibilities