The ludic aspect of lexical inventiveness

Abstract

In this paper we argue that coining new words is inherently ludic. We
hypothesize that naming (the onomasiological part of the creation of words)
functions as a modern form of aporia (the riddle). We propose to interpret nonce
formations as the initial stage of any new word both as a temporal and as a
spatial notion. Once used in communicative interaction, a word is launched on
its paths of socialization, instantiated by institutionalization and lexicalization.
As there are no grounds for a sharp distinction between ‘ludic’ and ‘ordinary’
words, we postulate ludicity as a third dimension of socialization for which
each word is characterized