
Notes on a Suffix for 'Scandal' - curtis
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/watergate-gamergate-and-the-evolution-of-language/382276/?single_page=true
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cperciva
_The suffix -gate isn’t entirely a function word—it still retains the meaning
of “scandal.” But it could one day undergo what linguists call
“grammaticalization,” when content words because function words._

It's already happening. A few days ago I encountered the sentence "We need to
gate this issue", meaning "We need to draw attention to this issue and turn it
into a political scandal".

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Steko
It will be interesting to see what the staying power of the -ghazi suffix ends
up being.

It may fade, may replace -gate, and it may even live alongside -gate to
signify nothingburgers people try and turn into scandals like you mention. In
the latter case we can look forward to a lot of cases where both sides try to
rebrand -ghazis into -gates and vice versa.

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mcphage
I've definitely seen -ghazi in the "artificially constructed attempt at a
scandal" being used several places—some of the Apple press called "Bendgate"
"Bendghazi", and the anti-Gamergate subreddit is called "Gamerghazi". So I
think it's picking up steam, although we'll see if it has staying power.

~~~
SyneRyder
Just recently the Galaxy Note 5 reverse pen issue was also being called
"Penghazi". But in both the Bendghazi & Penghazi names it works because it
sounds so similar to "Benghazi".

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tikhonj
Reminds me of the amusing "Watergategate"[1] sketch from the British comedy
show "The Mitchell and Webb Look". I mean, the joke is sort of in the title,
but it's still funny to watch.

There's a point to it to, similar to what the article said: language evolves
in interesting, sometimes convoluted ways.

[1]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB9JgxhXW5w)

