Typophile

Make A Meaning – Community Design Project

Abel

Hello!

My name is Alice and I am currently organising a community design/language project called Make A Meaning. Make A Meaning is a growing collection of postcards communicating new meanings for extinct English words. Anybody and everybody can take part, from children to designers to grannies. The project offers obsolete but expressive, brilliant-sounding words to people who coin new definitions for them on one side of a postcard – they may describe a pet hate, a particular habit, situation, smell, etc.

I am still working on the website, but if anyone on Typophile would like to take part and make a meaning, please email abelgrove@gmail.com for a word and instructions!

http://make_a_meaning.prosite.com/

Thanks!

Hrant H Papazian

This is not what you wanted:

Trying to tie this to typefaces, I would say that if the Thorn and the Eth letterforms are one day re-introduced to English, I hope they take on their original -and much needed- sounds instead of newly invented ones. (Not that we don't need more symbols for poorly supported sounds.)

Concepts don't go extinct, they just go dormant.
Make entirely new words!
http://www.typophile.com/node/81709

That said, it's always nice to see a preoccupation with language.

hhp

Riccardo Sartori

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Meaning_of_Liff

Nick Curtis

Eftsoons, adv.
Original Meaning: Soon after
New Meaning: What happens in most porno films.

Embrangelement, n.
Original Meaning: Perplexity
New Meaning: An inordinate interest in Mr Pitt and Ms Jolie.

Janglesome, adj.
Original Meaning: Quarrelsome
New Meaning: To be overburdened with bling.

Spuddle, v.i.
Original Meaning: To make a big fuss over a trivial job.
New Meaning: To ask “You want fries with that?”

Abel

Thanks oldnick, these are great!

Abel

Thanks for the link, really interesting stuff! :-) Also, I like the idea of concepts becoming dormant, rather than extinct so thanks for the post!

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