FEATURED NEOLOGISM:

One particularly interesting neologism is “sönlendirme”, a Turkish equivalent proposed for the English concept of “gaslighting.” I coined this term as part of an effort to create a semantically accurate and structurally consistent native alternative to a widely used but borrowed psychological term.

Background:
The term “gaslighting” was first inspired by a 1938 suspense play written by British author Patrick Hamilton (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_Light), and by the 1940 British film Gaslight, starring Anton Walbrook and Diana Wynyard (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYmtzaHwCKo&t=4337s). However, it especially derives from the 1944 American adaptation Gaslight, starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten (Turkish title: Işıklar Sönerken). For the trailer, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ToLfQU2xmg.
Literally meaning “gas lamp light”, gaslight took on a figurative meaning particularly after the 1950s and 60s, coming to denote a narcissistic individual deliberately manipulating another person so as to make them doubt their own sanity. For the etymology of the word, see: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=gaslighting, and for the definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaslighting. However, for a more detailed definition:
“It is a covert type of emotional abuse in which the bully or abuser misleads the target, creating a false narrative and making them question their judgments and reality. Ultimately, the victim of gaslighting starts to feel unsure about their perceptions of the world and even wonder if they are losing their sanity.”

Source:
The term has been loan translated into Turkish as gaslayting and has been rendered through equivalents such as “sanrıya zorlama” (=“forcing delusion”), “psikolojik manipülasyon” (=“psychological manipulation”), and “algı çarpıtma” (=“perceptual distortion”).
Although the literature identifies between six and nine types of manipulation or emotional and psychological abuse techniques (see: Lexia, Katie (2022) Gaslighting; Covert, Theresa (2021) The Gaslighting Workbook; Hansen, G. S. (2020) Gaslighting: Overcoming Emotional and Spiritual Abuse; or Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting), some online sources mention up to twelve techniques being used (see: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/know-gaslighting-techniques-used-control-others-so-you-brierley-ma/?trk=articles_directory).
In my opinion, the best example in which this topic is explored is the 2007 film of the same name adapted from Nora Roberts’ novel Angels Fall, starring Heather Locklear and Jonathon Schaech.

Structure and Formation:
“Sönlendirme” is a blended neologism formed through clipping and compounding, specifically following the method classified as (2)(b)(iii) Kırpma/Kısalama (Clipping/Shortening) in Turkish term formation:
• It combines the words “söndürme” (=extinguishing) and “yönlendirme” (=guiding/manipulating), thereby encoding the essential meaning of “gaslighting” — the psychological extinguishing of an individual’s perception of reality through manipulation.
• The formation adheres to key principles of inter-lingual term creation, drawing exclusively from native linguistic resources.

Rationale:
I introduced the term “sönlendirme” in 2022 to offer a qualified Turkish neologism that fulfils the seven essential criteria for effective term formation as outlined in Karaman (2018: 134):
1. Saydamlık (Transparency)
2. Salkımlılık (Systematicity)
3. Tutarlılık (Consistency; non-synonymy)
4. Bağlamsızlık/Biriciklik (Context-independence; monosemy with mononymy)
5. Elverişlilik (Brevity, linguistic economy)
6. Yerlilik (Localisation)
7. Güncellik (Currency)
The goal was to eliminate ambiguity i.e. by creating a neologism which is mononymous and monosemous at the same time, ensure cognitive accessibility i.e. transparency, and localise the concept without resorting to borrowing.

Public Reception and Media Coverage:
This neologism gained attention in Turkish media and public discourse, and I discussed its rationale and structure in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Oksijen in 2022. The article, titled “Nedir bu gaslighting: Sönlendirme mi, yönlendirme mi, öz yıkıcı istismar mı?”, explores various interpretations of “gaslighting” and presents “sönlendirme” as a terminologically robust alternative. It also features the views of other scholars and scientists, most of whom preferred either existing Turkish equivalents which are paraphrases or retained the original loanword gaslighting in their usage. This diversity of opinion reflects broader trends and tensions in terminological adaptation—between innovation and the use of already available lexical resources.
🔗 https://gazeteoksijen.com/turkiye/nedir-bu-gaslighting-sonlendirme-mi-yonlendirme-mi-oz-yikici-istismar-mi-167723

Why It’s a Favourite:
“Sönlendirme” exemplifies how linguistic innovation grounded in terminological science can offer culturally and semantically precise solutions in the creation of new lexical entities (neologisms). It avoids reliance on loanwords and loan translations as well as the use and modification of existing resources avoiding polysemy, aligns with native morphology, and promotes conceptual clarity — all of which contribute to terminological integrity.

Prof. Burcu İlkay Karaman is a linguist and terminology expert specialising in terminology, terminography, lexicology, and lexicography, with a particular focus on neologisms and term formation. Her academic background includes an MA in Translation from the University of Surrey, where she researched English and Turkish neologisms in her dissertation “Neology in English and Turkish from a Translation Perspective”, supervised by Prof. Margaret Ann Rogers. Her research centres on the (re-)creation and life cycle of neologisms in specialised domains, with a strong focus on Turkish terminology reform, including the evolution and re-Turkification of geography and medical terms. She explores term formation strategies in both historical and contemporary contexts, addressing cognitive and sociolinguistic aspects of knowledge transfer. Her broader interests include translation-oriented terminology, terminography, linguistic innovation, and multilingual term bank creation for crisis communication. More: https://avesis.deu.edu.tr/burcu.karaman/educations.