Bigfoot and Sasquatch

[Jonathan Lighter]

I'd nominate "mythonym" -- if I thought we needed such a word.

  JL

Page Stephens <hpst at EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Page Stephens
Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is there any word for words like Sasquatch, bigfoot, flying saucer, UFO,
etc. which can be used in sentences but which have no relationship to
anything which has been demonstrated to exist?

This reminds me of an old story I once heard of about a seminar run by
Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein in which Russell said something
like, "There are no pink hippopotamuses in this room." in order to make a
point at which point Wittgenstein began opening desk drawers and doing
other things in order to determine the truth value of Russell's proposition.

I do not know it this is a true story or not but it pretty much accords
with my ideas on the subject.

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: Jonathan Lighter
> To:
> Date: 3/23/2006 7:51:04 PM
> Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
> Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>
> IIRC, it was this incident that set off popular interest in the subject,
though it didn't really take off until about 1967.
>
> JL
>
> "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC"
> Subject: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>
> The OED has Sasquatch going back to 1929. It does not have an entry
> for "Bigfoot", although it is used in quotes from 2000 (entry: "pepper"
> v.), 2003 (entry: "picture" n.), and 1972 (under "yeti"); or "Big
> Foot", although it is used in a quote from 1980 (entry: "yowie" n.).
>
> Bigfoot
>
> Nebraska | Lincoln | Lincoln Evening Journal | 1958-10-06 p. 9 col 3.
>
> [photo caption] "'BIGFOOT' REAL?-Plaster cast of a footprint 10 inches
> long and 7 inches wide is held in Eureka, Calif., by Jerry Crew."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo!
Messenger with Voice.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



---------------------------------
Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make  PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org