Retronym

A retronym is a type of neologism coined for an old object or concept whose original name has come to be used for something else, is no longer unique, or is otherwise inappropriate or misleading. The term was coined by Frank Mankiewiczwww.bizforward.com and popularized by William Safirehttp://www.startribune.com/stories/389/4224163.html in 1980 in The New York Times. Many of these are created by advances in technology. However, a retronym itself is a neological word coinage consisting of the original noun with a different adjective added, which emphasises the distinction to be made from the original form.

The word retronym also refers to an acronym constructed after the fact (a backronym), such as Perl.O\'Reilly - Safari Books Online - 0596101058 - Learning Perl, 4th Edition It is also used to refer to a word formed by reversing the spelling of another word, e.g., mho from ohm.Verbatim

In 2000, the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition was the first major dictionary to include the word retronym.WSJ Features

Examples of retronyms are acoustic guitar (coined when electric guitars appeared),Retronym - New York Times and World War I (called only "the Great War" until World War II). The advent of satellite radio has prompted the term terrestrial radio. The term "bar soap" for traditional solid soap was necessitated by the introduction of body wash and liquid hand soap. The subcontinent of India was simply known by Europeans as "the Indies" until their discovery of the Caribbean, which they called the West Indies, led to the necessity of the retronym East Indies.

It is not always obvious which is the retronym and which is the non-retronym. "Leaded gasoline" (petrol) could be considered the retronym since that term was used after the introduction of unleaded gasoline. However, lead is actually an additive that was not originally in gasoline.

Posthumous names awarded in East Asian cultures to royalty after their death can be considered retronyms too, although their birth names will remain unambiguous.

Careless use of retronyms in historical fiction can cause anachronisms. For example, referring to the "First World War" in a piece set in 1935 would be incorrect — "The Great War" and "14-18 War" were commonly employed descriptions. Anachronistic use of a retronym could also betray a modern document forgery (such as a description of the First Battle of Bull Run before the second had taken place).

Entertainment

In entertainment media, a retronym can be applied to a property that becomes a franchise and requires the source property to be differentiated from others in the franchise.

One example is the original 1960s Star Trek television series, which in modern times is referred to as Star Trek: The Original Series (abbreviated as ST:TOS) to identify it among the many film and television sequels that Star Trek has spawned.

Another is the first Star Wars movie to be filmed and released, originally titled simply Star Wars; after the film (and its sequels) became a smash success and prequels were assured, the film was sub-titled Episode IV: A New Hope for all subsequent releases.

"Classic" is often applied to the first computer game in a franchise, especially if the sequels are numerically titled; examples include the Doom, Quake, and Unreal Tournament series. (Doom and Doom II are often collectively referred to as Classic Doom to distinguish them from Doom 3, which uses a different game engine.) Command & Conquer was frequently referred to as Tiberian Dawn after its sequel Tiberian Sun was confirmed, and also because it lent its name to the series. The usage of "Classic" may be derived from^{[original research?]} what is itself a retronym: the relaunch of Coca-Cola as "Coca-Cola Classic" after the failure of what is now called the New Coke recipe change.

See also

• List of retronyms
• -onym

References

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