While I was writing a paper on All the Pretty Horses for my AP English class, I tried to think of the adjective form simulacrum. By this I mean I was trying to think of a term that applied the characteristics of the noun "simulacrum" to another noun.
Simulacrum: n. "Something having merely the form or appearance of a certain thing, without possessing its substance or proper qualities."3 This is from the Latin word Simulacrum meaning "likeness or similarity," the root being "simulare" which means to fake, or recreate, often crudely. Simulacrum is often used for something that is only a crude or virtual representation of the original thing, often gaining its own lesser significance, e.g. aspartame is a simulcra of sugar. The plural of simulacrum is simulacra.
Preferably this term would be from the same root as simulacrum. At first I thought of "simulacric," but it just didn't sound right. So I looked up "simulacratic." It has been used by many scholars and in many publications such as The Oxford Journal of the American Academy of Religion1 and the journal Postmodern Culture2. However I have checked The American Heritage Dictionary (Fourth Edition), Webster's New International Dictionary, and the Oxford English Dictionary (Online Edition) and I have yet to find "simulacratic." I did however find the term "simulacral," in the OED which means "resembling an image."3 So my question to you peoples is which one is better, simulacratic or simulacral? I like simulacratic more, but I want to hear your responses.
1. http://jaar.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/74/1/243
2. Ngai, Sianne. "Stuplimity: Shock and Boredom in Twentieth-Century Aesthetics." Postmodern Culture-Volume 10, Number 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, January 2000.
3. Oxford English Dictionary Online
Simulacratic. If others are using it, this essentially makes it legit. Just because it hasn't been published in a dictionary doesn't mean it's not a word yet. Sometimes it takes the dictionaries a little while to get it published. And, most importantly considering you were doing this for Whiteside, if it's being accepted in academic publications, it's an acceptable word for your academic work. And for your own personal use, of course.
I ran into this issue today, wanting to write about the simulacrum of a table, and I naturally went to simulacratic. Then I googled, and Yes! So, I'm going with 'simulacratic table.' It just reads right, without hesitatation, whereas your other options would turn heads. We're making a word here, before the dictionaries....
Simulacratic. If others are using it, this essentially makes it legit. Just because it hasn't been published in a dictionary doesn't mean it's not a word yet. Sometimes it takes the dictionaries a little while to get it published. And, most importantly considering you were doing this for Whiteside, if it's being accepted in academic publications, it's an acceptable word for your academic work. And for your own personal use, of course.
ReplyDeleteI ran into this issue today, wanting to write about the simulacrum of a table, and I naturally went to simulacratic. Then I googled, and Yes! So, I'm going with 'simulacratic table.' It just reads right, without hesitatation, whereas your other options would turn heads. We're making a word here, before the dictionaries....
ReplyDelete