Help finding a new word

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GabrIT
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Help finding a new word

Post by GabrIT »

Hi!

as the title says I'm trying to form a neologism using (ancient) Greek... it's my first post so please if it's not the correct section here tell me and I'll move to the right place.
In short, I need to find a new word that (approximately) means:

"any graphical representation that is composed of multiple parts"

or

"an image or diagram or picture that can be split into smaller parts"


After a lot of research I found some candidates, but as I'm not (yet :-)) good in this language I'm asking your help. I would like to comply to compound rules as much as possible (for example the word "telegram" was not formed correctly - in fact although it's widely used it should be "telegrapheme" τηλεγράφημα, and I would not end in things like this)

The words I found are:

synograph or synographic (from syno- = together, graph = written)
συλογραφικών

diamer (from dia- =through, -mere = parts)
διάμερούς

aggraph or aggraphic (from agora = assembly, graph = written)
αγγραφικών

I'm trying to keep the neologism as easy and short as possible, it should also remind common words (like "graph") and not be cacophonous... it will be used for a software that will be developed in 2015, so I'll be happy to cite any valid contribution I receive here under the acknowledgements in the readme and credits section.

Thanks in advance to all
εὕρηκα!!!

cb
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by cb »

hi, i don't think you need to create a new word here, remember the grks played a huge role in geometry and so you're going to get concepts like this all over the place. there are different ways you could get what you want, eg the 1st thing i thought of was socrates' famous allegory of the divided line in plato's republic, see 509d:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... ep.+6.509d

you could take the expression for divided line there, γραμμὴ τετμημένη, and adjust it to fit whatever word you choose for the pictorial representation part (eg διάγραμμα) - you'd need to adjust the gender of τετμημένη to suit whatever word you choose to replace γραμμή.

or you could choose the many other words available for resolution of something into its parts or compounding the parts into a whole. common ones are ἀναλύειν for resolving into parts and συντιθέναι for composing parts into whole. so an adjective form of συντιθέναι (like σύνθετος) would give you the idea of composed of parts, and you could tack that onto whatever word you choose for the pictorial representation part, and once again you'd have to adjust the gender, so eg διάγραμμα σύνθετον.

you have lots of choices and don't need to invent a word i think. cheers, chad

Qimmik
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by Qimmik »

I'm not sure why "telegram" is ill-formed. Seems ok to me.

Syn ("with") in compounds in always syn-, never *syno."

Agora + graph- would yield "agoragraph" or "agoragram."

"Polygraph" and "polygram" are already taken. So are "tomograph" and tomogram."

"Polymerograph/-gram" sounds chemical.

The word you're looking for is clearly "schizograph" or "schizogram," but I'm not sure the marketing staff would be happy with this.

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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by jeidsath »

I think that the word "hemigraph" is sometimes used for half of a two part word written in ideographic characters (Chinese hanzi or Japanese kanji).

But I'd just call the thing a "mixpic" if I wanted to get my point across. The number of people that you'll impress with actual Greek roots is indistinguishable from zero.
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by Markos »

Qimmik wrote: "Polygraph" and "polygram" are already taken.
What about then myriogram or myriograph. Polyikon?

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GabrIT
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by GabrIT »

First of all, really thanks to your suggestions. I'll try to carefully answer to all your posts and please pardon me if I do some mistakes in analysing / writing words in greek.

So starting with cb:
you could take the expression for divided line there, γραμμὴ τετμημένη, and adjust it to fit whatever word you choose for the pictorial representation part (eg διάγραμμα) - you'd need to adjust the gender of τετμημένη to suit whatever word you choose to replace γραμμή.
This would lead to something like γραφικών τετμημένος if I do it right... in fact the term τετμημένη has been translated to abscissa in English, using latin ab- and something that is slightly related to schizo-, which also Qimmik talks about... the problem is that we have two words with 18 chars, too long for an expression that should be only 2 or 3 syllables... "shrinking" to something smaller would end up to tetmigraph (τετμηγραφικών) or even better abgraph (but of course I'm forcing a little here). For the same reason I would have to take only the ἀνα- from ἀναλύειν, but in my country (Italy) the word anagrafe already means "civil registry" so I cannot use it. As for συντιθέναι, that's what I wanted to use for the first proposal (συλογραφικών).
As you see here the real issue is that I can use a very limited number of chars... I know, it's like fitting a whole pizza in a small cup :-) but this is a requirement... anyway abgraph and tetmigraph (tectograph?) are absolutely valid.

Qimmik:
Qimmik wrote:I'm not sure why "telegram" is ill-formed. Seems ok to me.
I think I cannot post URLs, but if you search for "I protest against such a barbarism as telegram. [Richard Shilleto, Cambridge Greek scholar, London "Times," Oct. 15, 1857]" you'll find a good :-) debate out there.
Syn ("with") in compounds in always syn-, never *syno.
So the current candidate becomes syngraph or syngraphic.
Agora + graph- would yield "agoragraph" or "agoragram."
... so I have to kick this candidate out. Agoragraph has 4 syllables, too much... may be just αγορα, why not... I'll think about it, even if the word is already in use.
"Polygraph" and "polygram" are already taken. So are "tomograph" and tomogram."
Right. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we live in a globalized world with many inventors :-)
Polymerograph/-gram" sounds chemical.
Yes, but that was the idea behind diamer, without the poly part...another suggestion could be merograph?
The word you're looking for is clearly "schizograph" or "schizogram," but I'm not sure the marketing staff would be happy with this.
:D yes, "schizograph" was also one of my favourites, but people would think it's a mental disease software eheheh... but never give up hope, this could be considered as a fun alternative, giving the idea of something ..."really dynamic" :lol:

jeidsath:

yes, the ημι part is too much related to half and this would not coincide to the many parts concept.
But I'd just call the thing a "mixpic" if I wanted to get my point across. The number of people that you'll impress with actual Greek roots is indistinguishable from zero.
In fact the word doesn't have to "impress", because it will not be the name of the entire software, rather just the name of its basic mechanism. However, mixpic is a great idea. There is a far relationship with poikilos amd μίγμα, but your expression is really immediate and that's the point!

Markos wrote:What about then myriogram or myriograph. Polyikon?
Also very good suggestions. Polyikon (normalized as polyicon) is quite widespread and the word "icon" is too much related to a specific object that is different from a graphic or a picture, but myriograph is also perfect IMHO.

So after your precious posts here are the candidates:

- syngraph / synogram
- diamer / merograph / merogram
- agora
- abgraph / abgram
- skizograph /skizogram
- mixpic (and his combinations like synpic, diapic, myriopic)
- myriograph / myriogram

This is enough material for me and I'll keep you all and this thread as my source. Of course any other suggestion / correction will be welcome... and if you want play around, start giving votes to your preferred term... you'll be the very first panel to review this work! 8)
εὕρηκα!!!

Qimmik
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by Qimmik »

if you search for "I protest against such a barbarism as telegram. [Richard Shilleto, Cambridge Greek scholar, London "Times," Oct. 15, 1857]" you'll find a good :-) debate out there.
I couldn't find the Shilleto's actual letter to the The Times, but when I looked up γράφημα in LSJ, this is all I found:
= γράμμα, AB787.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... gra%2Ffhma

So I'll ask my question again: what's wrong with "telegram"?


Bill

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GabrIT
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by GabrIT »

εὕρηκα!!!

Qimmik
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by Qimmik »

I'm still not convinced.

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GabrIT
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by GabrIT »

Qimmik wrote:I'm still not convinced.
:D Certainly I'm the last here that would try to convince you, I'm just reporting what others said... therefore it could be interesting to open a new thread and give the "final blessing" to the telegram word!
εὕρηκα!!!

Victor
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by Victor »

The full controversy over telegram/telegrapheme can be found here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XSlc ... &q&f=false - assuming Google lets you access it.
I think arguments over how many angels could fit on a pin-head were less of a waste of erudition, frankly.

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GabrIT
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Re: Help finding a new word

Post by GabrIT »

Victor wrote:The full controversy over telegram/telegrapheme can be found here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XSlc ... &q&f=false - assuming Google lets you access it.
I think arguments over how many angels could fit on a pin-head were less of a waste of erudition, frankly.
Well I think I'll stop worrying about it :)
εὕρηκα!!!

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