unexpected hazards in the English language

[swan_tower]

So fantasy writers love making up words, often by putting together two existing words to make a neat combination.

I don't recommend creating some fantasy race called the "Shardborn," however neat it may sound.

Because it means "born in dung."

Comments

[fjm.livejournal.com]

I have problems with Avatar: the last Airbender.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Is that word in there? Or does it make up some other term with real meaning?

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Airbender.

Somehow, I always think plumbing.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Ah. <g> My eye slid right past that one. Yes, even when there isn't a specific and distracting meaning, you've got no guarantee your audience will get the right vibe off the word you just made up.

[nightwolfwriter.livejournal.com]

Unless your alien race is actually born in dung.

Then it might be appropriate.

[celestinenox]

This should be a real story/book/movie/thing. It'd be awesome. Just sayin'.

I might be weird.

[shadowkindrd.livejournal.com]

Always a good replacement for words like bastard or other insults.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Always google names first...always google names first....always google names first...

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

This is why I taught a friend a racial slur once. I was talking about how my grandmother would quote racial slurs but not use them herself but would not even quote "the f word," and that I used similar circumlocutions for racial slurs like "the n word" and "the k word" but was fine quoting someone as saying "fuck" even if it was not a context in which I'd use that particular word myself. And one of my friends said, "Um...what's 'the k word'?" I tried giving her a hint as to what ethnicity it was applied to, and she really just didn't know it. I wrestled with myself over it, but since she writes speculative fiction, I didn't want her sending out a story with the planet of the K---s with their quaint K--- tribal customs and upsetting some poor slush reader and embarrassing herself.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

My guess is that you're referring to a Jewish slur, as it's the only one I can think of off the top of my head that starts with K.

I know what you mean, though. "Traditional" profanity -- things having to do with sex and religion and bodily function -- doesn't bother me much at all anymore. But offensive slurs? I have a remarkably hard time making myself quote them directly, even if it's in the context of discussion rather than use.

[ken-schneyer.livejournal.com]

...and your point is?