Re: Q words (was: Chicago Convention Freedom Rights Explained)

Seth Golub (seth@cs.wustl.edu)
Mon, 23 Jun 1997 12:31:49 -0700


Are any of these words part of the English language? Are names ever
part of a language? Can I make up an arbitrary name, use it in a
sentence, and claim it as native? What if someone with the name is
popular and is referenced by millions of speakers and publications?
Is it then part of common usage?

I contend that while non-names (words that reference classes of
objects) do enter the language through common usage, proper names
(words that reference particular objects) never do.