A Dissertation by GRACE HUI-CHIN LIN Submitted to the Office of ...

class to demonstrate for the researcher his deep understanding about
“exemplification” and “word coinage.” Additionally, Tien Long talked about how the
speakers’ personalities influenced their ability to employ “word coinage.” Tien Long
also perceived that “generalization” was a less advantages strategy. In Tien Long’s
first interview, Tien Long talked about how his classmates had applied the strategy of
“word coinage” to introduce Taiwanese culture.
In terms of “word coinage,” I rarely use it. However, I heard a lot of newly
created words, especially some words related to Taiwanese culture, such as
“Oyster Noodle” for “Oamishua 蚵仔麵線,” a kind of famous Taiwanese
noodle and “Fried Stinky To-Fu” for “Cho Do Fu 臭豆腐.” I believed when
introducing Taiwanese culture, that “word coinage” was an important strategy
because those words could not be found in standard English. And these words
should be words heard by foreigners for the first time.
Also, some other items that can be found only in Taiwan might be introduced
through “word coinage.” My major is Food Science, so I offer examples like
some vegetables of Taiwan. The “Water Celery” might not be easily figured
out by the foreigners. However, if you say “Empty Stem Vegetable 空心菜,”
it could be comprehended more quickly. Instead of using the biological term
“Water Celery,” using “Empty Stem Vegetable 空心菜” may be clearer and
more comprehensible by the foreigners.
Tien Long observed that a person’s personality influenced his/her ability to use
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