Report 1: Neo Chart Project

Trina Rydzewski, Michael O’Neil and Sadie Rebstock

Have you ever wondered how many new and original phrases you have created through your life? It is probably a much larger number than you could ever imagine. If you began to keep track of all of these phrases, you would definitely surprise yourself. Dr. Leon James, professor at the University of Hawaii, looked into this theory and has come up with the concept of a Neologism. Basically, the definition of a neologism is a word, phrase, or expression that describes a perception, insight or concept for the first time. According to Dr. James, every neologism is a description of a particular sensation, which is ultimately brought on by a different type of love. Love is an affective neologism because you need some kind of love, no matter what category or sub-category, for all people or objects. Each kind of love is extremely unique and different in its own way, just like the Neologisms the love is able to create.

Neos fall into three categories. Compounds, New Meanings and New Technology all have an effect on the amount of new Neos one is able to create each day. Many people think that it is impossible for there to be that many unique ways of speaking or writing, but in fact, its true. The way to find out for yourself is to speak to a friend. Take on of your sentences and put it in quotes in a search engine and see how many hits you receive. If you receive no hits, you have successfully coined your very own Neo.

The study of Neologisms is very closely related to the topics we discussed in Dr. James’ Unity Model of Marriage seminar. We learned about the different types of love, and the different levels that people can be spiritually connected. There are so many possibilities and different situations that two people could conjoin in, which in turn, increases the possibility of more Neo’s. These different levels of love that individuals and couples experience create new perceptions, ones they have never experienced before. While describing these feelings, individuals are extremely likely to create their own long list of Neologisms.

So, we were sent out to run an experiment, to see what our friends really knew about Neo’s. Together as a group, we compiled ten of our favorite Neo’s from Dr. James’ Master Neochart. We also had smaller lists of our own Neo’s that we have created through the year and added on our ten favorites from those lists. We mixed them up, and then gave the survey to six of our friends to rate, on the likelihood of them being a neo.

We made a chart, and gave all of our participants the definition of a Neo. Then, we used a rating system to have our participants decide the likelihood of the phrase being a Neo, without them knowing that ALL of the phrases were Neo’s. The chart and the rating scale is shown below:

Rating Chart

1 = most likely a Neo

2 = hard to tell if it is a Neo or not

3 = probably not a Neo

Below is a chart of the data that we received from our six participants, showing that people highly underestimate the amount of Neo’s that they can create, and that exist.

Data

Neologism’s Used	Where the Neo was found…	Our Prediction, the likelihood it was a Neo	Most Common Response	Average Response, from all 6 participants
1. He witnessed their conjoint self, shining from their faces, their beauty and their wisdom	Master Chart	1	2	1.6
2. She burns with longing for affective intimacy.	Master Chart	2	1	1.3
3. There are two kinds of love and each kind has distinct properties	Master Chart	2	2	2
4. She must change to have him.	Master Chart	3	3	2.6
5. They must conjoint as one.	We Made Up	3	2	2.3
6. A spiritual husband loves his wife spiritually as well as naturally.	Master Chart	2	1	1.2
7. All relationships start in a similar way, a chance meeting, a first impression, and an introduction, it is after these events in which relationship can split into hundreds of different possibilities.	We Made Up	1	1	1.3
8. He must reciprocate by conjoining himself to her.	Master Chart	2	2	2.6
9. Reciprocation is the key to this love.	We Made Up	3	2	1.9
10. Women perceive it, and from that they know it.	Master Chart	1	1	1.3
11. Nothing shall destroy this sacred bond.	We Made Up	2	3	2.8
12. If this is achieved, they will be together forever.	We Made Up	2	2	2.6
13. A man is normally scared of the idea of unity with the same woman.	Master Chart	2	2	2.3
14. Together they must learn how to communicate.	We Made UP	2	3	2.8
15. This is real. This is the reality.	Master Chart	3	2	2.6
16. The man and woman must set aside their differences.	We Made Up	2	1	1
17. He knows it, he feels it.	Master Chart	3	3	3
18. The natural marriage turns into a spiritual marriage as the husband spends more time in the unity mood.	Master Chart	1	1	1.3
19. They are more like one person instead of two.	We Made Up	3	2	2.6
20. Love is the spiritual way of two souls.	We Made Up	3	2	2

Discussion of the data:

Once the average was totaled from all the participants, the data was then compared to my own responses and ratings of each neo. The average of the scores was fairly similar to mine with only a few deviations.  The results are a clear indication that most of these statements have a strong possibility of being a neo. As the number of words in a sentence increases so does the chance of it being a neo. Because most of these neos we picked were longer, it made it easier to distinguish if it was a neo or not. If we had one to three word neos then our data would have been completely opposite. However, we wanted a clear distinction to prove the point that neos hold much significance in our everyday lives. They represent people’s thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Also to point out that everyone creates neos on a daily basis without even ever knowing it. 

The participants were very intrigued with this topic and became enlightened when they found out they had been creating neos every day. When I gave them the chart to fill out I did not tell them that they were, in fact, all neos because this would skew their thinking and we would end up with bias results. As I discussed the data with each person I found out why they answered they way they did for each of the neos. For the shorter ones they obviously put there was a higher chance of it being a neo, as did I.  As well as explaining to me that their thinking for answering that way was because most of the shorter ones seemed like general statements that someone, somewhere has said before. The longer ones were a bit easier to determine than the shorter ones because they were more specific and random and had a greater probability of being a neo.

Questions

How does the introduction to the Master Neochart expand your awareness of the role of neos in society?

The introduction to the Master Neochart really opens up some doors to the concept of Neos. Many people do not realize how many phrases they actually coin on a daily bases, and actually how many different combinations of words exist. The concept of Neos shows that the people of society are not giving themselves as much credit as they should based on their creativity and language skills. Its amazing to see how many Neos a single person in society can create in a lifetime.

      As Dr. James shows, keeping track of your own Neos (and the dates that you discovered them)can also show the growing interest on certain topics. This would be of great use to those who develop their own theories of interest, similar to Dr. James. For example, Dr. James has coined many phrases that were not found anywhere on the internet a few years back for his Aggression and Road Rage theories, and now when he Google’s those same phrases, many hits appear, showing that others became inspired by his topic and felt the need to elaborate on it.

Neos are also very important in society because they show the diverse range of language use.  It makes ordinary people aware of things that they are creating on a daily basis. It would be extremely impressive to actually have a long list of Neos, all created by you, and being able to claim that you have coined each and every one of those terms.  It seems like such an amazing accomplishment, but in reality, it is very easy for anyone to do. The people of society just need to take the time to realize and credit themselves for the amazing discoveries they are making every day.

During this course, I have found it quite interesting to check Google to see if I have created a new neo or not. To my surprise, most of the time I do! On the other hand, there are also many other phrases that could potentially look like neologisms, but in fact are not. These are called anti-neologisms and when compiling a list of your coined phrases, you need to watch out for these. Anti-neologisms are expressions that once started out as neos, but have been overused to the point where they become popular sayings, and that they do not have the same effect on a conversation as a true neo. Anti-neologisms are very important in everyday conversation, to know basic facts and information, usually used when there is not much detail and description involved. Coversations using many anti-neologisms are not as meaningful as one’s with many neologisms.

The Master Neochart really expands my understanding of the importance of neos because its shows the conversational styles that can be used to create more intimacy and lasting bonds. This table should encourage others to use more neologisms and be more intellectual, so they can have an easier time reaching their Unity Model of Marriage with their soul mate in the future.

How does this potentially affect your life? Neologism Research and Conclusions.

Just how clever are we? Look at the numerous other species on this planet, we are not the biggest, nor the strongest, tallest, fastest, in fact we really are not that impressive in all physical senses. It is two very simple things that separate us form the rest of the animal kingdom. One allows me to type this report, an opposable thumb. The second and most fascinating distinction we as humans posses is the use of language. No other creatures use speech as we do. Sure there is communication in the animal world. Sounds, scents, looks, body movements, and even singing, but no language. This creation of languages, in all forms, written, spoken, or sung, has been with us since the beginning of human evolution. Even though language is so wide spread and has been used for longer than history has recorded, we all make new amazing discovery in it every day. These discovers are called neologisms.

What is a neologism? According to Dr. Leon James a Neologism or neo is a, new word combinations that pop into our awareness when we are grasping for an expression that will describe a perception we have of a sensation, idea, or feeling. This definition taken form the Master Neo Chart, show the simplicity of neos. Even simpler is the definition found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary A new word or expression.  So a neo is something new, the question is have you ever made a neo, and does it matter?

So neos are new ideas formulated into sentences and then expressed by each and every one of us. When we think of the importance of new concepts or ideas, we very rarely think of ourselves and our own creativity. Let’s take the concept of new ideas. Every industry and profession in the world relies upon new and unique ideas. Whether it be new technologies and advancements in computers, new problems and solutions found in science, or new products for marketing. Each of these new ideas started somewhere as  neos. Marketing is a great place to look for neos, those working within the field simply have a job of coming up with new and unique phrases to sell products, in their world neos equal a paycheck. Though neos may not equal a paycheck in your world, most likely each and every day you come up with a neo, the question for you is, is that neo important?

To answer the question how important are neos, I decided to do a little listening, it was a simple Saturday so I but the books down and listened. I listened to my co-workers, myself, girlfriend, barista, parking attendants and any ones I may have encountered. A few statements I wrote down, and checked as neos (using the goggle search method) most I just listened and used my own judgment to weather it was a neo or not. Surprisingly most were, or maybe that isn’t surprising. On the base level you would believe that most phrases have been used and that conning a new term or expression, is only done by those who are true inventers and word-smiths. But not true, each and every person creates neos every day. Statistically most sentences more than four words are going to be neos, now that is amazing.

Congratulations you and me, and everybody creates neos every day. So what? Well there is two ways to look at this, because neos turn out to be so proficient I have broken them down into two categories. Significant and non-significant neos.Non- significant neos are the most common they are the works and phrases we use every day, maybe our very unique coffee order or an inside joke with friends, though important in out every day lives they most likely will not become popular or important because they lack substance. It is significant neos they may make an impact on our, and others lives.

A significant neo is a truly unique phrase. Mostly seen with new technologies or theories in which every day language is not sufficient to explain a concept. I’d like to take the example of Goggle as a neo. Twenty years ago if someone told you to goggle this or that it would have simply been nonsense. With a change in times and the acceptance and importance of the World Wide Web in our lives the ideas of goggling something is now common places and worldwide. Goggle when created was a significant neo, in fact a world changing neo. It is these neos we most are on the watch out for.

How do you track a neo? Well it is easier than tracking a rare white rhino, and simpler than driving a car. All you need is pen and paper, a good ear, and your own clever mind. Keep track of the unique things you may say. Remember they may be every day and mundane to you but they are your neos. Once you have recorded a few check them using the online search method. Make sure when you check you neos online that you have quotation marks around the sentence. If it is a neo, congratulations, find a place to save it and check it every once in a while to see if it will grow, who knows you may have coined the coolest new phase of the year.

In conclusion neos are everywhere, even today you created neos, so never doubt yourself. If you decide to track your neos good luck, and enjoy. But for us mere mortals who can deal with out the headache of learning how creative all human beings are do not ignore neos altogether. There are very significant neos out there; in fact you might just say it yourself.

Encountered Neos:

Coffee Shop

I’ll have a coffee, venti, lowfat, sugar, two pumps.

Can I get a latte with the milk on the side?

Can I get a hot chocolate, but on ice?

Home Life

Would you not put the cracked egg shells in the sink!

Miiiike, I forgot my phone, can you get it!

Wetsuits are on the lanai honey

It is in the draw, no THE DRAW, with all the other stuff.

Work (as a SCUBA diver)

Too much Nitrogen, need French fries

Lug tanks, Dive, Lug tanks, Dive, Hey when do we get to eat?

Hey grab a whip and bleed these tanks

How’s the love bucket (tip jar) today Captain?

Has this topic been neglected?

The answer is yes. Neologisms are an integral part of language and this idea has not received the attention it deserves. Many people have not heard of this term let alone think about what they are saying could be a useful neo. There are few reports on the Internet about neologisms which would explain the negligence of this topic. Neologisms represent a person’s thoughts, feelings, beliefs and ideas which portray a certain aspect of life that can teach others important things. Neos are generally statements coined by a person that have been documented somewhere in literature, in order for it to be considered a true Neo. Many people make up new neos every day and have no recollection they are inventing something that can be useful to others. With new ideas emerging everyday and people gaining more intelligence from all the resources we have access to, the possibilities of neos are endless. If everyone kept track of their own neos and published them in some way, many people could learn from one another and have a better insight of people’s thoughts and beliefs. 

Is it an important issue?

This issue is important because it opens up so many doors, and expands the minds of many people. Because this topic has been neglected it may be seen by others as unimportant. Quite the contrary, neologisms contain a power that can be useful in so many ways. They hold the answer to so many questions people have on a daily basis. One person’s thoughts and beliefs could be another’s answers to a life or spiritual question that has gone unanswered for an extended period of time. It brings meaning to life and provides us the answers to our own identity and can guide us through life. We believe that if more people became aware of neos in their own lives  and recorded them, it would lead to a large database full of wisdom and clarification. This would then lead to an even larger database on the web creating more neos.

The Spiritual Significance of Neologisms Book by Dr. Leon James: 

 How does this approach expand your view on the topic?

This book is filled with new approaches and terminology that all fit the neologism definition. It has the ability to expand our minds into accepting a new view as plausible and is not restricted by our previous education style as the “…“positive bias in psychology” all of us are trained in formal education within the negative bias in science. We are told that God and related concepts are excluded from the negative bias science. I hope that in the future teachers will introduce this approach as "the negative bias in science" rather than as "science." By calling it "science" instead of the "negative bias in science" we are to some extent not given the freedom to consider the fact that this is a bias. Science denies the existence of God as a deterministic influence on events. But science cannot prove this. Hence it is a bias” Other people might call it a "premise" or an "unproven assumption." Premise, assumption, approach, bias. You can see why I call it a bias” (James). This is just the beginning of the endless possibilities of neos because it is asking you to accept things you normally wouldn’t in order to wrap our minds around something else that could be out there. As Dr. James elaborates on this thought, he coins many terms (neos) relating to his theory of a man and a women conjoining physically and spiritually to reach The Unity Model. We are enlightened by this thinking process and accept it as valid because there is nothing else to prove otherwise. The neologisms that are created from this serve as the backbone to this idea of spiritual love, and will continue to spread this knowledge through the vast and powerful internet databases. This applies to the class because the concept must first be accepted in order to fully comprehend and understand this new idea of conjoining a man and a woman in spiritual eternity. Therefore, since it is a new topic and most people have not researched it many neos appear from it. Most of Dr. James writing and ideas are all neos that develop this concept of eternal love.

References

James, Dr, Leon. "The Unity Model of Marriage and Relationship." 2008. 

14 Nov. 2008  

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy28/409b-g28-lecture-notes-p1.htm

Google-Neologism-Wikipedia -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neologism.

Fowler, H.W., "The King's English", Chapter I. Vocabulary, Neologism, 

2nd ed. 1908.

James, Dr. Leon. "Half a Century of Science in Psychology." The Master 

Neochart. University of Hawaii.Version 27c 2008.

<http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/neochartp1.htm>.