A Vocabulary Lesson

Language changes over time. A foreigner visits and introduces a new concept, bringing that word with it. Schadenfreude is a recent one from Germany, meaning the joy you feel when someone you don’t like suffers a misfortune. Perhaps the closest we have in English is “Serves him right!”

Another cause of linguistic change is cultural change. People think of new things, and we need words for them. I want to share a few of these with you today. I got them from a fun article in the March 2016 Scientific American, page 73, Michael Shermer’s “Skeptic” column. If you can lay hands on the magazine, read it. It’s a pretty good article. Here are the new words:

trigger warning–alerting someone that they might be about to encounter something that might upset them

microagression–saying something that only hints that you are inferior

cultural appropriation–imitating behavior of a group (culture) that you aren’t part of

disinvitation–withdrawing an invitation, particularly a public one

safe space–a place to go when you’re upset

The definitions are more or less mine; Shermer’s article addressed these issues in the context of an academic environment, and I made them a bit more general. Perhaps you can improve on them. Send me a note.

PS—I stay out of politics on this site, but Glen McCoy’s editorial cartoon below is too good an illustration of these vocabulary items to pass up. I also like that the little girl got her apostrophes right.