Nomination, dénomination et néologie : intersection et différences symétriques

This article seeks to study the relationships between neology and naming taken from the viewpoint of the act of giving a name, to be distinguished from the word or denomination itself, which is the result of this operation, producing a stable form. First of all, neology and naming do not coincide completely. The influence of the syntactic context, desire to be identified as an insider or to achieve expressivity can give rise to neologisms without there being any concomitant new realities to be named. From the other point of view, naming is not always accompanied by neologisms: usages may be extended and meanings may be specialized in context, and in general old signs may be used for new realities. Then again, several parameters must be taken into account when examining naming by neology. The factor of the degree of urgency is fundamental: does the speaker have time to give thought to the new name or is the sentence already half out? The aim of convincing both hearer and speaker/writer of the existence of a new reality or to express an opinion on the subject is a second parameter. Finally we examine various cases of renaming.