Howdy hur, my name's Reign and one of my favorite things to do is coin MOGAI terms and flags, so I'm going to walk you through the process of coining a term, because it's more than just putting a word together. First, let's talk about what goes into each and every MOGAI term.
FAQs
- Q: Do I have to ask to coin a term?
- A: Nope!
- Do I have to identify with the term I'm thinking of coining?
- A: Nope again! You just need to understand enough about it, and if it's a gender like a culturally exclusive gender or a neurogender, you need to be a member of said culture or have said neurodivergency to make the term, but you don't need to personally identify as it.
Step 1: Figuring out the Definition
First and foremost, your term needs to have a clear definition- do not think of a vague definitions, make them exact and clear. For example, if you wish to coin a xenogender relating to a certain animal, do not simply say that it is "a gender connected to (insert animal name", as on the surface that sounds fine, but is actually vague. Gender is complex, and simply saying that a gender is connected to something does not actually specify the qualities of the gender.
For example, say you're interested in coining a xenogender related to dolphins. Do not say "a gender connected to dolphins", say instead something like "a gender which is connected to dolphins, either in metaphor, quality, imagery, or an existing yet inexplicable connection. This gender may feel chipper, excited, youthful, and flashy like dolphins, or may be influenced by those qualities of dolphins." The former is a definition, but it is not specific enough to describe the qualities of the gender, and without figuring out the specifications and qualities of your term, you cannot accurately coin it.
Step 2: Confirming Availability
Once you've got a clear-cut, well-rounded definition, you need to make sure someone else didn't already come up with the same definition for another term. MOGAI resources are growing and have been for the past decade, so it may be overwhelming to look through them all to see if someone's already made the term you want to coin, but it's not actually that much work.
Since MOGAI communities are relatively new, archives for MOGAI terms are still online and can easily be searched. MOGAI coining largely occurs across the most popular of social media sites- tumblr, instagram, twitter, and sometimes reddit and Discord, as well as MOGAI resources like the MOGAI wiki community and the LGBTA Wiki. To find out whether you are in the clear to coin your term, enter a simple search through the aforementioned sites with the criteria of your term, and if you don't find anything, you're in the clear!
MOGAI Sources to Check-
- Tumblr (especially popular MOGAI blogs)
- LGBTA Wiki
- MOGAI Community Wiki
- Any other MOGAI sources/websites you can think of
Step 3: Etymology Time
After (hopefully) confirming the availability of your term's definition, it's time to actually name your term! If you already have an idea in mind, roll with it, and check the same resources provided above to see if there's already a term with a similar name.
If you're not quite sure where to start though, never fear! A term's etymology is important, as it tells us essentially the root of the term. Terms can be formed from other root terms across all languages (at least ones using the same script), so don't feel limited to drawing from your native language on etymological inspiration.
When coming up with a good name for your term, think of the one or two things that are most core about your term (for example, a xenogender related to trees and bunnies- trees and bunnies are the two core things). You could use three, but any more than that would become complicated and a bit unnecessary. When you have the core words related to your term picked out, you can use parts of each of those words in your term, or you can browse for synonyms of those terms and use those, or search for translations of your core words into different languages for even more options.
Using synonyms and different-language translations in etymology is common and easy to get into the swing of. Can't think of any ways to incorporate the word fire into a term differently than already-existing terms related to fire? A synonym or different language will certainly have your back! Browse those and mix and match to find the coolest name for your term!
Below are some resources you may want to look into to find synonyms and different translations to help you in naming your term!
- https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/
- https://www.thesaurus.com/
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus
- https://www.dictionary.com/
Step 4: Coining Time!
You've got your term and you've got your definition, now officially coin it! Include the following things-
- The name of the term
- The term's definition, explained thoroughly and clearly
- Any alternate definitions of the term
- If you came across terms with similar definitions or names, but not the same, specifically mention those terms and explain the differences precisely.
- Include when you coined the term, and any resources/help you received along the way.
- If you can, include a flag for your term
- Aaaaaaaaaand you're done, congrats and go forth budding MOGAI magician!