Time, “Here’s a Closer Look at the ‘Snowmenclature’ People Are Using”

January 27, 2015

Katy Steinmetz, “Here’s a Closer Look at the ‘Snowmenclature’ People Are Using” (Time, Jan. 27, 2015)

Ben Zimmer, executive editor at Vocabulary.com, found evidence of bloggers using this “snowmenclature” when storms hit the U.S. in 2005. But, he says, they didn’t really blow up until Twitter had taken hold in 2010. Even President Barack Obama was on board that year. “Hashtags lend themselves to this play with blended words,” Zimmer says. “And a successful blend, one people recognize and understand, is one where the parts are obvious at first glance, like snowmageddon.”

Read the rest here.

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