Keyword (linguistics)
A catchphrase ( English buzzword or catchword , French slogan ) is an expression or saying that is intended to generate special attention (plural: “catchwords” or, less often, “catchwords”). This is to be distinguished from the catchphrase (plural: “catchwords”) in the meaning “catchword, descriptor ”, as it is used for the indexing of the content of documents by means of keywording , for example in libraries.
Keywords are words or short phrases that are used to convey certain facts concisely and convincingly. Since their use is based on an (unconscious) intention of persuasion, these words shorten or simplify the described facts often in a dubious way in favor of the euphony and at the expense of the information conveyed. They can also have an abusive or derisive character. It is not uncommon for the affected group to adopt the originally negative catchphrase over time and give it a positive connotation (change in meaning ).
Often these are neologisms . Mass media shape some of the buzzwords in circulation; this can increase the audience impact of contributions or topics. The term “buzzword” (in German) is itself a catchphrase and is used for the excessive use of catchphrases.
Keyword research
For more than 100 years, keywords in their everyday language and rhetorical function have also been the subject of research. The literary scholar Richard M. Meyer and the Leipzig teacher and philologist Otto Ladendorf are regarded as pioneers .
Keyword research examines the use of keywords primarily as a concrete epoch-related, social (e.g.: political) phenomenon. General questions about the origin, lifespan or typical form of keywords are also of interest. The research field draws its suggestions on the one hand from popular language criticism , on the other hand the transitions to discourse analysis are quite fluid.
See also
- Buzzword Bingo , a humorous variant of the bingo game, which satirizes the often meaningless use of numerous keywords in lectures, presentations or meetings
- Buzzword compliance
- Political catchphrase
- Tag Cloud (Engl. Tag cloud ) (eg. Different font sizes) Display of keywords, each with different representation
- Keyword (documentation)
literature
Dictionaries
- Hadumod Bußmann (Ed.): Lexicon of Linguistics. 3rd updated and expanded edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-520-45203-0 .
- Duden. German universal dictionary. 6th, revised and expanded edition: Dudenverlag, Mannheim 2007, ISBN 978-3-411-05506-7 .
- Helmut Glück (Ed.), With the collaboration of Friederike Schmöe : Metzler Lexikon Sprache. 3rd, revised edition. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2005, ISBN 3-476-02056-8 .
- Otto Ladendorf: Historical keyword book. One try. Trübner, Strasbourg 1906; Reprinted with an introduction by Hans-Gerd Schumann: Olms, Hildesheim 1968.
- Richard M. Meyer: Four Hundred Keywords. Teubner, Leipzig 1900.
- Kurt Pätzold and Manfred Weißbecker Ed .: Keywords and battle cries from two centuries of German history , Directmedia Publishing Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-89853-843-5 .
- Gero von Wilpert : Subject dictionary of literature (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 231). 8th, improved and enlarged edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-520-23108-5 .
Contributions to keyword research
- Manfred Kaempfert: The key words. Once again on the history of words and the lexicological term. In: Native speaker , Vol. 100, (1990), pp 192-203.
- Thomas Niehr: Keyword. In: Gert Ueding (Hrsg.): Historical dictionary of rhetoric. Volume 8: Rhet – St. Niemeyer, Tübingen 2007, Sp. 496-502.
- Wulf Wülfing: Buzzwords of the young Germany. With an introduction to keyword research. Schmidt, Berlin 1982.
Web links
- Master Buzzword Generator - page for generating "Buzzwords"
- Ladendorf's historical subject dictionary from 1906 as a full-text version