nascent - Beginning to exist or develop; Coming into existence; emerging
The Nascent Edge is my attempt at creating a more lively expression to supplant the common common phrases like, “leading edge”, “cutting edge”, “bleeding edge” or even “frothy edge”. While I can’t fully take the credit for this phrase (it does have a couple pages of results on Google), it’s the first time I’ve personally heard it used.
The reason I started using it is because when one is trying to talk about something that is at the very edge of some new trend or is radically new, one generally has to resort to phrases that have been existence for a while, “like cutting edge”. The phrases, because they are relatively old, end up being antithetical to what they are actually pointing to, and it leads to a kind of semantic embarrassment. The other option, which I poked fun at last week, is to play with phrases in a way where you try and have them point beyond themselves using post- and trans- and then using the word a couple of times (ex. “She is a post-feminist feminist”). This seems kind of awkward to me, so instead I’m trying to invent and adopt expressions that are already well understood but are doing the same thing.
Why am I doing this? Why do I care? Well, in part because I have a passion and interest in language (and just get kind of geeky with words), but also because the language that we use is the main means by which we point to, or communicate our values, ideas, and perspectives. It’s down-right important. Words can be used to manipulate as well as to inspire, and that’s why I try to do my best to stay at the nascent edge of conscious communication. Care to join me?
November 21st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Hi, Vince. It’s true we need fresh expressions for fresh phenomena - that is, when does phenomena are really fresh. But then, sometimes we need new ways of saying the same thing just because we understand the thing differently. “Emergent” is another word (or “emerging”), as well as “evolving”. Quite often, though, it’s a matter of morphing and even devolving and not necessarily progress, genesis or even simple reproduction and multiplication. We must also beware of starting an in-group lingo, which defeats the purpose. However, new words have a way of their own to become potent and meaningful. Sometimes a joke becomes the foundation for a new way of seeing everything. Or, as Uncle Bill would say, “Language is a virus (from outer space)”. Of course, I’m with you on this. Godspeed, Hokai
November 21st, 2007 at 12:12 pm
“…that is, when THOSE phenomena are really fresh.” Sorry for the misspelling!
Hokai
November 21st, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Yeah, that’s a good point about certain language becoming an “in-group” thing. I saw that happening a lot at Integral Institute, especially with regards to all the acronyms that we started creating. It’s a funny thing, cause on the one hand I think messing with language too much is silly, but on the other hand I find myself really liking to do it. But really, I don’t see any fundamental problem with that. It’s really kind of humorous.