A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants by lazy journalists and writers."[1]
An example of a snowclone is "X is the new Y", a generic form of the expression "pink is the new black". X and Y may be replaced with new words or phrases, as in "Random is the new order", a marketing phrase for the iPod shuffle. Both the generic formula and the new phrases produced from it are called "snowclones".
It emphasizes the use of a familiar (and often particular) formula and previous cultural knowledge of the reader to express information about an idea. The idea being discussed may be different in meaning from the original formula, but can be understood using the same trope as the original formulation.
History
The term was coined by Glen Whitman on January 15, 2004,[1] in response to a request from Geoffrey Pullum on the Language Log weblog.[2] The term is an allusion to a specific instance of the phenomenon:
- If the Eskimos have N words for snow, the X surely have M words for Y.
As the Language Log explains, this is a popular rhetorical trope used by journalists to imply that cultural group X has reason to spend a great deal of time thinking about the specific idea Y,[3][4] despite the fact that the basic premise is wrong: Eskimos do not have an unusually large number of words for "snow".
In 1995, linguist David Crystal referred to this kind of trope as a "catch structure", citing as an example the phrase "to boldly split infinitives that no man had split before". It was originally used in Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series (1978).[5] Adams' phrase is a reference to a Star Trek phrase "...to boldly go where no man has gone before!", which contains a split infinitive, a grammar construction criticized by language pedants.
Other examples
- "Have X, will travel." It was popularized by Have Gun – Will Travel, the title of a 1957-1963 U.S. radio and television show, which derived from the stock phrasing of short "want ads" in Variety: an example is Have Tux, Will Travel,[6] the title of Bob Hope's memoirs.[7] Robert A. Heinlein's 1958 novel Have Spacesuit, Will Travel was also a reference to this stock phrase.
- "The Saudi Arabia of X." Because of Saudi Arabia's abundant and easily accessible oil, any entity that has similar abundance is often mentioned with this reference. An example is former U.S. Vice President Al Gore referring to China as "The Saudi Arabia of Manufacturing"[8]
- "X considered harmful." The rise of this phrasal template was sparked by Edsger Dijkstra's 1968 letter to the Communications of the ACM, titled "Go To Statement Considered Harmful", as well as the responses "'GOTO Considered Harmful' Considered Harmful" and "'"GOTO Considered Harmful" Considered Harmful' Considered Harmful?".[9]
- "Got X?" This was originated by the "Got Milk?" campaign by the California Milk Processor Board in 1993, and has spawned many imitators, such as "Got Jesus?", "Got Beer?", and "Got Rice?".[10]
- The Watergate scandal left such an impression on the United States national and international consciousness that many scandals since then have been labeled with the suffix "-gate". (see List of scandals with "-gate" suffix).
References
- ^ a b Whitman, Glen (2004-01-14). "Phrases for Lazy Writers in Kit Form Are the New Cliches". Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ Pullum, Geoffrey K. (2003-10-27). "Phrases for lazy writers in kit form". Language Log. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ Liberman, Mark (2005-06-18). "Etymology as argument". Language Log. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ Pullum, Geoffrey K. (2003-10-21). "Bleached conditionals". Language Log. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ Crystal, David (1995). The Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 178.
- ^ "have". Online Etymology Dictionary (November 2001). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ Hope, Bob (1954). Have Tux, Will Travel: Bob Hope's Own Story as Told to Pete Martin. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743261038. “Hoofers, comedians and singers used to put ads in Variety. Those ads read: 'Have tuxedo, will travel'. It meant they were ready to go any place any time... It also meant that they would be dressed classy when they showed up.”
- ^ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0712/10/se.01
- ^ Liberman, Mark (2007-07-03). "Considered harmful". Language Log. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
- ^ Got staying power? Landmark milk marketing campaign celebrates 10th anniversary. | Consumer Products > Food & Beverage Products from AllBusiness.com
Further reading
- "How the Web Is Changing Language", NPR Talk of the Nation (2006-06-28). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- Peters, Mark (July/August 2006). "Not Your Father's Cliché". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- "The word: Snowclone" (2006-11-18). New Scientist (2578). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- Warburton, Annie (2007-03-24). "I mean, what's it mean?", Hobart, Tasmania: The Mercury.
- Smith, Russell (2007-05-31). "Do you speak kitteh?", Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- Vaszily, Scott (2007-08-04). "Colourful language (letter)". New Scientist (2615). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- McFedries, Paul (February 2008). "Snowclone Is The New Cliché". IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
External links
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