Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 12:13:41 -0500

From: Jonathan Gilbert JonG[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DRAGONSYS.COM

Subject: Collected responses to question



Thanks to all who responded with suggestions of words for the situation

where a word becomes interchangeable with another, usually different

word. One of you suggested that I collect the responses and post them

to the list(s) ... so here you are.



Most responses suggested what were really similar or related

phenomena: jargon, slang, argot, hidden or secret language, private

speech, semantic drift or semantic shift, and metonymy (good

suggestion).



A few "unofficial" but descriptive phrases were suggested: "contextual

synonymy" and "is synonymous with the usual meaning of ..."



And finally, the verbs (a verb was really what my friend who originally

posed me the question was looking for) "collapse", "confuse", and

"conflate". My friend decided that "conflate" was the word she needed,

meaning "to put two things together so that they form one unit."



Thanks again to all; we're both quite impressed by how much response

the question has generated!

Jonathan Gilbert

JonG[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dragonsys.com