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"Incel" etymology: Difference between revisions
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The | The term "[[incel]]" is an abbreviations of "involuntary celibate", coined in 1739 by [[Antoine Banier]]. It is one of many other terms that describe [[involuntarily celibate]] people. See the articles [[synonyms]] and [[synonyms of inceldom]] for a summary. But why has the term "incel" caught on? Why haven't any of the other terms with a similar meaning been as catchy or as popularized? This can be explained by two generalized factors; (a) phonetics and (b) accuracy. [[Ton den Boon]] was the first lexicographer to define the term "incel", defining it as a gender-neutral noun, meaning someone who lives involuntarily celibate. | ||
The equivocal nature of its etymological derivatives means that "incel" is a catch-all term that covers everyone who seems to be unable to get a romantic partner. This is unlike "[[love-shy]]" which is primarily focused on [[mentalcel]]s, or "[[TFL]]" which has a specified focus on peculiar causes, and uses the word "forced" thereby hinting at an external overbearing entity. | The equivocal nature of its etymological derivatives means that "incel" is a catch-all term that covers everyone who seems to be unable to get a romantic partner. This is unlike "[[love-shy]]" which is primarily focused on [[mentalcel]]s, or "[[TFL]]" which has a specified focus on peculiar causes, and uses the word "forced" thereby hinting at an external overbearing entity. | ||
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The term "incelibate" has only four syllables and is thus easy to pronounce. The term "incel" has even less syllables; two, and is thus even easier to pronounce. The former has the advantage of being instantly recognizable since "celibate" is contemporary and in widespread usage, while for the latter there are no other words in the English language with close very permutations, sounds, or semantic equivalence. | The term "incelibate" has only four syllables and is thus easy to pronounce. The term "incel" has even less syllables; two, and is thus even easier to pronounce. The former has the advantage of being instantly recognizable since "celibate" is contemporary and in widespread usage, while for the latter there are no other words in the English language with close very permutations, sounds, or semantic equivalence. | ||
The only reason that incels or incelibates use an abbreviated form of the longer term is that, "incel", has only two syllables, thus is easier to say. "Incelibate" has four syllables, again easy to say. In contrast, the term "involuntarily celibate person" has 11 syllables, which is much harder to say. Therefore, the term "incel" is to "involuntary celibate" the same thing as what "lb" is to "pound". " | The only reason that incels or incelibates use an abbreviated form of the longer term is that, "incel", has only two syllables, thus is easier to say. "Incelibate" has four syllables, again easy to say. In contrast, the term "involuntarily celibate person" has 11 syllables, which is much harder to say. Therefore, the term "incel" is to "involuntary celibate" the same thing as what "lb" is to "pound". "Incel" is to "involuntarily celibate" the same as what "USA" is to the "United States of America". Just because a longer term is abbreviated doesn't mean that the definition has changed. So in a nutshell, "incel" is simply an abbreviation of the term "involuntarily celibate". | ||
The terms are simplified with its usage of simple grammar that befits Ogden's basic English. As such, it is easily malleable for linguistic morphology, which has been fully utilized in the [[incelosphere]] with the additional coinages of multiple derivatives through additions of affixes, such as in "[[inceldom]]", or prefixes, as in "[[mentalcel]]" etc. Both abbreviations are also catchy. The longer way of saying "incel" is "involuntarily celibate person", however this lengthened term is rarely used because it has 11 syllables. | The terms are simplified with its usage of simple grammar that befits Ogden's basic English. As such, it is easily malleable for linguistic morphology, which has been fully utilized in the [[incelosphere]] with the additional coinages of multiple derivatives through additions of affixes, such as in "[[inceldom]]", or prefixes, as in "[[mentalcel]]" etc. Both abbreviations are also catchy. The longer way of saying "incel" is "involuntarily celibate person", however this lengthened term is rarely used because it has 11 syllables. | ||
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==Accuracy== | ==Accuracy== | ||
The other reason why the term "incel" has caught on is the accuracy of its unabbreviated form "involuntary celibacy". The [[nonsexuality]] article explains how people who don't understand [[inceldom]] sometimes conflate it with other forms of sexual inactivity even though [[ | The other reason why the term "incel" has caught on is the accuracy of its unabbreviated form "involuntary celibacy". The [[nonsexuality]] article explains how people who don't understand [[inceldom]] sometimes conflate it with other forms of sexual inactivity even though [[inceldom]] is very different. The term "involuntarily celibate" is criticized as a misnomer on some platforms owing to the fact that "celibacy" is sometimes claimed to be by definition voluntary. This logic is faulty on three pillars; firstly one of the perks of the English language is that adjectives permit altering the meaning of the following noun. Secondly, the English language is filled with terms that on the surface seem like a misnomer but are in practise standard usage. For example Guinea pigs originate in the Andes, not in Guinea. Thirdly, although it is true that celibacy is overwhelmingly used in volitional contexts, it has also often been used in nonvolitional contexts. | ||
==="Celibacy"=== | ==="Celibacy"=== | ||
One of the upsides in the usage of "involuntary celibacy" is that it has a broad enough scope that it includes those who seek only sex, those who seek only [[romance]] as well as those who seek a combination of the two. This means that "involuntary celibacy" is less exclusive than a term such as "involuntary sexual abstinence" which would allude only to sex. Furthermore, [[ | One of the upsides in the usage of "involuntary celibacy" is that it has a broad enough scope that it includes those who seek only sex, those who seek only [[romance]] as well as those who seek a combination of the two. This means that "involuntary celibacy" is less exclusive than a term such as "involuntary sexual abstinence" which would allude only to sex. Furthermore, [[involuntary celibate]]s, as well as academics who have studied inceldom, often believe that there are societal factors behind inceldom. As such, it becomes succinct to coin a protologism that has societal or cultural undertones. Nobody can argue that the term "celibacy" lacks societal or cultural undertones due to its long tradition in [[Catholicism]]. | ||
==="Involuntary"=== | ==="Involuntary"=== | ||