| Abstract: |
This study aims to introduce the 'Web-based Online Detector of Neologisms' and examine the morphemic and semantic characteristic features of neologisms in contemporary Korean. This new initiative is unlike the work done previously. Neologisms of 2012 in this study use the Detector of Neologisms. This tool is designed to provide researchers with real time candidates of Korean neologisms out of 139 internet news data and broadcasting materials, and enables
them to determine new words among the random candidates. The final selections of neologisms are automatically compiled as headwords, connected to the biggest dictionary of the Korean language, 'Wurimalsaym', containing over 1 million entries. As a result of our work, 377 words (75.4%) and 123 phrases (24.6%) totaling 500 neologisms have been selected. Among all the parts of speech in Korean, firstly, most of the neologisms are nouns (93%). Secondly, the
neologisms show some characteristic features in forming new words in contemporary Korean. They consist of compounds (61%), derivatives (35%), and simple words (4%). The compounds, specifically, show an even rate of the three types; 'compoundings', 'blendings', and 'shortenings'. Lastly, considering the origin of the compounds, foreign words (22%) are the most actively employed to create a new word as in 'peytpwue (pet-poor)'. Another type shown in a considerable number is sino-Korean words (18%) as in 'senghyengkwuk (plastic-surgerycountry)'. Semantic features of Korean neologisms of 2012 are analyzed through the integral consideration of time, space, user groups, and contexts of communication. When analyzed from the functional and pragmatic perspectives, as Rey (2005: 319-322) suggested, Korean neologisms are more vitally created in order to apply new meanings for the pre-existing social phenomena or to categorize them more markedly, rather than referring to new objects or social phenomena. Another notable feature is that many Korean neologisms are related to computer games, plastic surgery, or economic difficulties of modern society. |