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

[benlehman]

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

I feel so dirty.

Comments

Re: Watch out

[rich-forest.livejournal.com]

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...

Re: Watch out

[benlehman.livejournal.com]

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.

Re: Watch out

[benlehman.livejournal.com]

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

Re: Watch out

[rich-forest.livejournal.com]

Heh.

Re: Watch out

[unrequitedthai.livejournal.com]

Join our sad, sad club.

Re: Watch out

[rich-forest.livejournal.com]

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."