Social:Familect

From HandWiki
Short description: Words unique to a family

A familect is a set of invented words or phrases with meanings understood within members of a family or other small intimate group.[1] Among the pioneers of research on familects is Cynthia Gordon, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, who discussed the concept in her 2009 book Making Meanings, Creating Family.[1] Familects fall within the intimate register of communication.[1] Familects often gain vocabulary through the words young children create as they learn to talk, when these words are adopted by the family.[1] Familects also gain vocabulary through slips of the tongue and word invention.[2]

See also

  • Idioglossia

References

Further reading

  • Cynthia Gordon (2009). Making Meanings, Creating Family. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195373837. 
  • The English Project (2008). Kitchen Table Lingo. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0753518199. 

External links