Choosing a Name for Your Computer (1990)
I stuffed the RFC into GPT and asked for a summary, and asked it to write 10 examples of each point. It &quot;hallucinated&quot; an interesting elaboration of the &quot;use real words&quot; rule that wasn&#x27;t mentioned in the RFC:<p>&gt;Use real words:<p>&gt;- Unreal words: Zibber, Quibbit, Wuzzo, Brumple, Kwozzle, Gliggern, Drimble, Fopple, Zinkern, Thribble<p>&gt;- Real words: Pulsar, Fusion, Vector, Quantum, Catalyst, Dynamo, Nexus, Zephyr, Vortex, Phoenix<p>So I asked it, &quot;Give me a list of 100 silly unreal words that are good computer names.&quot;<p>And it generated a hilarious list of silly unreal words for computer names that obeyed all the other rules too.<p>&gt;Blibber Flibbit Zoggly Snarfle Quizzix Jibberix Flumble Snootle Jumblex Skrungle Flibberish Squozzle Buzzlequib Zumblequack Skrizzik Glibbergen Squibble Wibbleshack Zibberflap Quabblefudge Kwozzler Skrubble Jibberlump Squibbleton Quacklebum Wuzzlequorp Flibberquill Zibberplush Quozzletuck Grubblefrush Jumblezor Squigglemuff Quabbleblurt Buzzlekringle Skrubblefrimp Blibbertron Glibberspark Wuzzlethrump Flibblecrust Zibberklax Quozzlegruff Flumblezest Jibberclump Squibblethorp Skrungleblast Zumblequax Grubbleflink Flibbersprout Buzzlegrit Quacklepuff Blibberchomp Snootleburst Glibberzilch Squozzleflop Kwozzlespork Skrubblemunch Zumblethrift Quozzlequench Flibblegrit Jibberplank Squibblezorb Quacklethrift Flumblezax Wuzzlesplat Glibberfluff Blibbersketch Zibberfrizzle Squozzleblimp Grubblequark Buzzlekrunch Skrunglefluff Zumblecrunch Quozzlefrump Flibbersquatch Jibberflit Squibblekrush Blibberblitz Wuzzleflank Skrubblespook Zumblekrunk Quackleflunk Grubblesmirk Squozzlefrimp Buzzleplunk Flibblezorp Glibberplush Jibberclank Squibblesmudge Blibbergrit Zibberzorch Wuzzlequench Kwozzlesplurge Skrunglethrift Flumbleblimp Quozzlesmirk Buzzlefluff Grubblethwack Zumblegrit Quackleblurt Squibbleplush<p>They seemed to have certain patterns to them, so I asked: &quot;Describe in words the linguistic and other techniques you used to come up with that list of silly words.&quot;<p>&gt;Sure, the process of generating a list of silly, unreal words involves several linguistic and creative techniques:<p>&gt;Phonotactics: Phonotactics is the study of the rules governing the possible phoneme sequences in a language. In creating these words, I adhered to the phonotactic rules of English, ensuring that the combinations of sounds were plausible for English speakers.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Phonotactics" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Phonotactics</a><p>&gt;Phonaesthetics: This is the study of the inherent pleasantness (euphony) or unpleasantness (cacophony) of the sound of certain words, phrases, and sentences. To come up with silly words, I chose combinations that are typically associated with a humorous or whimsical sound in English.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Phonaesthetics" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Phonaesthetics</a><p>&gt;Combining Familiar Sounds: To create these unreal words, I combined familiar sounds and syllables from English in new and unusual ways. This increases the chances that the words will be pronounceable and memorable, while still being novel and silly.<p>&gt;Consonant-Vowel Structure: Most of the words follow a basic consonant-vowel structure, which is common in English and makes the words easier to pronounce.<p>&gt;Morpheme Mixing: Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units of language. In English, we can combine morphemes in different ways to create new words. In this case, I combined various nonsensical morphemes to create new, unreal words.<p>&gt;Influence of Existing Words: Some of the created words might resemble or remind you of existing words in English. This was intentional as these associations can make the words sound more familiar and easier to remember, while still being clearly unreal.<p>&gt;Humorous Connotations: Many of these words were designed to have humorous or whimsical connotations. This was achieved by choosing sounds and syllable combinations that are often associated with humor, silliness, or absurdity in English.<p>&gt;Variety: In creating this list, I sought to ensure a wide variety of sounds, syllable counts, and levels of complexity. This increases the overall silliness of the list and ensures that there are words that will appeal to different tastes.<p>&gt;Remember, though, that creating silly, unreal words is a highly creative process and there are no hard-and-fast rules. The most important thing is to have fun with it and create words that make you smile!<p>I&#x27;ve never heard of Phonaesthetics or Phonaesthetics (but they sound plausible and pleasant ;) ), so I asked: &quot;To elaborate about Phonaesthetics and Phonaesthetics, give me as many explicit examples of possible of how those techniques apply to the list of computer names you generated above.&quot;<p>&gt;Sure, here&#x27;s how the principles of phonotactics and phonaesthetics apply to some of the silly, unreal words I created as potential computer names:<p>&gt;Phonotactics:<p>&gt;&quot;Brungle&quot;: This word adheres to English phonotactic rules, in which a single consonant or consonant cluster (&quot;br&quot;) can be followed by a vowel (&quot;u&quot;), and then ending in a consonant or consonant cluster (&quot;ngle&quot;).<p>&gt;&quot;Fribzoot&quot;: Again, &quot;fribzoot&quot; starts with a valid English consonant cluster (&quot;fr&quot;), followed by a short vowel (&quot;i&quot;), another consonant cluster (&quot;bz&quot;), a vowel (&quot;oo&quot;), and ends with a consonant (&quot;t&quot;).<p>&gt;&quot;Blupzark&quot;: This word adheres to the English phonotactic rules with a valid consonant cluster (&quot;bl&quot;) followed by a short vowel (&quot;u&quot;), a consonant (&quot;p&quot;), another consonant cluster (&quot;z&quot;), a vowel (&quot;a&quot;), and ending with a consonant (&quot;rk&quot;).<p>&gt;&quot;Tringwop&quot;: Here, &quot;tr&quot; is a common consonant cluster, followed by a short vowel (&quot;i&quot;), a consonant cluster (&quot;ng&quot;), a vowel (&quot;o&quot;), and a final consonant (&quot;p&quot;). Each part of the word is a permissible combination in English.<p>&gt;Phonaesthetics:<p>&gt;&quot;Snorkwib&quot;: This word has a whimsical sound to it, due to the combination of the &quot;sn&quot; sound at the beginning, often associated with words like &quot;snicker&quot; and &quot;sneak&quot;, and the &quot;wib&quot; at the end, which is an uncommon but still pronounceable combination in English.<p>&gt;&quot;Quibnorf&quot;: The use of &quot;qu&quot; at the beginning adds a quirky, whimsical sound, while the ending &quot;-norf&quot; adds to the absurdity, reminding one of words like &quot;dwarf&quot;.<p>&gt;&quot;Glibfraz&quot;: The &quot;glib-&quot; prefix may remind us of the word &quot;glib&quot;, giving a sense of smooth, quick wit. The &quot;-fraz&quot; suffix has a zany, fun feel to it.<p>&gt;&quot;Plonkstir&quot;: The beginning, &quot;plonk&quot;, may bring to mind the English onomatopoeic word &#x27;plonk&#x27;, giving a playful, silly feel. The ending &quot;-stir&quot; balances it with a more usual word ending.<p>&gt;Phonotactic rules ensure that the created words are plausible and pronounceable to English speakers, even though they are entirely made up. Phonaesthetics, on the other hand, contributes to the silliness, whimsy, and overall appeal of the words, making them suitable and memorable as computer names.<p>&gt;Please note that while these linguistic principles can guide the process, the creation of such words also involves a considerable degree of creativity and intuition.<p>These techniques are also useful for generating memorable nice sounding company and product names, too!