This got me thinking about what a buzzword actually is. Some quick research on the always reliable and never wrong wikipedia reveals that, at least from Wikipedia's point of view there is no consensus. From the point of view of Wikipedia a buzzwords and a neologism are essentially the same thing.
The 20/20 hindsight of looking into the past shows that a lot of words used in our everyday vernacular were once considered (at least according to Wikipedia) "buzzwords", which really means that they were actually "Neologisms"at the time.
I think the issue I have with the word "buzzword" is it is essentially a synonym for Neologism but with derogative connotations.
buzz·word
/ˈbəzˌwərd/
A technical word or phrase that has become fashionable, typically as a slogan.
ne·ol·o·gism
/nēˈäləˌjizəm/
- A newly coined word or expression.
- The coining or use of new words.
neology - modernism
So looking at those definitions what is the difference between an "expression" and a "slogan". Is "coined" really any different from "fashionable". It is interesting that two words can essentially mean the same thing but have different connotations.
Is our attitude just to criticise any new words in the english language by calling them "buzzwords" until they are thoroughly ingrained in the language. It's almost like we want to give them a good rough-housing before we're willing to accept them into the language, like a college freshman initiation.
Perhaps we just need to accept that words are words.
Source: The internet, my brain.
