benlehman | a confession from the frontlines of pre-post-post-modernism

a confession from the frontlines of pre-post-post-modernism

I used the word "hegemonic" tonight. And not even ironically.

I feel so dirty.

Hey, don't knock mythopoeic activity.

What's the verb form of "mythopoeisis?" Is there a word for "to make myths?"

yrs--
--Ben

Hm... see, this one's difficult. "Mythopoeticize" was my first instinct, but then, to "poeticize" something is not the same as to "make poetry," and you're looking for "make myths..." So it's tempting to go right to the etymology and coin something based on that. But that doesn't quite work either, or at least doesn't give us anything too obviously -- "myth" is of Greek etymology and so is "poeisis," and "poeisis" is already derived from "make" (like "logy" is from "study.") So our starting point, "mythopoeisis," is an English word with the meaning of "make myth," but it's still a noun encoding the participant form of a process. So now we need a verb form that gets at it without being overly redundant. I'm worthless as far as actual Ancient Greek morphology, so I can't give you the Greek infinitive form or stem (as applicable) of "poeisis." And even if I could, we'd probably really be stretching because chances are it'd be way in the realm of gibberish as far as English verb morphology is concerned. Probably.

We might be best off looking for a completely unrelated verb for myth-telling from another language :-)

Nothing springs immediately to mind. I'll give the matter further consideration...

To mythopoise?

I'm just full of neologisms tonight.

yrs--
--Ben

P.S. Of course, we could just take "myth" and convert it directly into a verb form: "he mythed." I mean, it happend to "lunch." But it does sound a little system.

hah. I meant to write "stupid" and I wrote "system." Who has been talking too much RPG theory? Who? Who?

Heh.

Join our sad, sad club.

That just might work. Hmm... or how about, "mythicate?" "Mythify?" "Mythologize..." but, wait for it, where's the poeisis? Why can't poeisis get any love?

How about "wax mythopoetic," as in, "Yeah, we were talking about RPGs and Ben started waxing mythopoetic on us again." Ok, I admit it probably isn't general enough to cover "make myths" in general.

How about, "mythtify?" Hm, I guess that would be like to totally rock someone with a myth, as in, "The old man mythtified us with his tale."

And while we're at it, what's your preferred verb form for "hegemony?"

Hegemonize? Sounds like demonize. Ooh, ooh, I got it.

Hegemonopolize.

Hegemonify.

"Dude, the Big Model Theory has totally hegemonified in the last six months."

Or, in a transitive usage:

"Man, look at Parker. He's, like, hegemonified six paradigms in under 30 seconds. Whadda showoff."

I see a world where hegemonify and hegemonopolize can live together in harmony.

A world where "hegemonify" covers the territory of "to set in hegemonically, to become hegemonic," while "hegemonopolize" refers to the active encroachment on, the hegemonic colonization of, other discourses.

e.g. "Yeah, and not only that, but the Big Model is really hegemonopolizing RPG theory these days."

Absolutely. I would go as far as to say that we are living in that world, sir.

As in "Critical Discourse Analysis has recently hegemonopolized both linguistics and media theory." Right?

In a related note, I love English. It isn't so much a language as an extended, 1500-hundred-year-long linguistic jazz session.

yrs--
--Ben

Quote:
As in "Critical Discourse Analysis has recently hegemonopolized both linguistics and media theory." Right?

Heh, I love it.

Just for the record: "hegemonize" is correct - in Greek.

Although the other alternatives are much funnier and should become the correct version in English.

-- A friend of Ben, who speaks Greek.

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a confession from the frontlines of pre-post-post-modernism

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