3 ms·

Notes on a Suffix for 'Scandal'

16 points by curtis 11y ago

cperciva 11y ago
The suffix -gate isn’t entirely a function word—it still retains the meaning of “scandal.” But it could one day undergo what linguists call “grammaticalization,” when content words because function words. It's already happening. A few days ago I encountered the sentence "We need to gate this issue", meaning "We need to draw attention to this issue and turn it into a political scandal".
- Steko 11y ago
  It will be interesting to see what the staying power of the -ghazi suffix ends up being. It may fade, may replace -gate, and it may even live alongside -gate to signify nothingburgers people try and turn into scandals like you mention. In the latter case we can look forward to a lot of cases where both sides try to rebrand -ghazis into -gates and vice versa.
  - jameshart 11y ago
    Right now, -ghazi is too politically freighted to win in that sense (too many people have not yet accepted that it's a non-scandal masquerading as a scandal), although there was certainly some momentum this summer here in the Northeast to refer to 'deflategate' as 'ballghazi'. I think it has a chance in the long term.
  - mcphage 11y ago
    I've definitely seen -ghazi in the "artificially constructed attempt at a scandal" being used several places—some of the Apple press called "Bendgate" "Bendghazi", and the anti-Gamergate subreddit is called "Gamerghazi". So I think it's picking up steam, although we'll see if it has staying power.
    - SyneRyder 11y ago
      Just recently the Galaxy Note 5 reverse pen issue was also being called "Penghazi". But in both the Bendghazi & Penghazi names it works because it sounds so similar to "Benghazi".
- gizmo686 11y ago
  I am not a linguist, but isn't gate still being used as a content word in you example. Rather, it seems to be being turned into a verb.
  - cperciva 11y ago
    Fair enough. I meant in the more general sense of "it is already adopting a new grammatical role", not that grammatical role specifically.
tikhonj 11y ago
Reminds me of the amusing "Watergategate"[1] sketch from the British comedy show "The Mitchell and Webb Look". I mean, the joke is sort of in the title, but it's still funny to watch. There's a point to it to, similar to what the article said: language evolves in interesting, sometimes convoluted ways. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w

16 points by curtis 11y ago

The suffix -gate isn’t entirely a function word—it still retains the meaning of “scandal.” But it could one day undergo what linguists call “grammaticalization,” when content words because function words. It's already happening. A few days ago I encountered the sentence "We need to gate this issue", meaning "We need to draw attention to this issue and turn it into a political scandal".

Steko 11y ago
It will be interesting to see what the staying power of the -ghazi suffix ends up being. It may fade, may replace -gate, and it may even live alongside -gate to signify nothingburgers people try and turn into scandals like you mention. In the latter case we can look forward to a lot of cases where both sides try to rebrand -ghazis into -gates and vice versa.
- jameshart 11y ago
  Right now, -ghazi is too politically freighted to win in that sense (too many people have not yet accepted that it's a non-scandal masquerading as a scandal), although there was certainly some momentum this summer here in the Northeast to refer to 'deflategate' as 'ballghazi'. I think it has a chance in the long term.
- mcphage 11y ago
  I've definitely seen -ghazi in the "artificially constructed attempt at a scandal" being used several places—some of the Apple press called "Bendgate" "Bendghazi", and the anti-Gamergate subreddit is called "Gamerghazi". So I think it's picking up steam, although we'll see if it has staying power.
  - SyneRyder 11y ago
    Just recently the Galaxy Note 5 reverse pen issue was also being called "Penghazi". But in both the Bendghazi & Penghazi names it works because it sounds so similar to "Benghazi".
gizmo686 11y ago
I am not a linguist, but isn't gate still being used as a content word in you example. Rather, it seems to be being turned into a verb.
- cperciva 11y ago
  Fair enough. I meant in the more general sense of "it is already adopting a new grammatical role", not that grammatical role specifically.

tikhonj 11y ago

Reminds me of the amusing "Watergategate"[1] sketch from the British comedy show "The Mitchell and Webb Look". I mean, the joke is sort of in the title, but it's still funny to watch. There's a point to it to, similar to what the article said: language evolves in interesting, sometimes convoluted ways. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w