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This scene from "Seinfeld" was the birth of the term "regifting."
- TV shows like Friends, SNL, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld have made a lasting cultural impact.
- They even added words to the dictionary.
- Once these TV shows aired, words like "spam," "regifting," and "going commando" became part of common parlance.
Television plays an important role in society - it educates, connects with us emotionally, offers cultural commentary, and makes us laugh.
But TV plays an important linguistic role as well. Language experts play close attention to the way TV shows influence the way we talk, and some of the most interesting linguistic developments are associated with TV.
Take the word "spam," for instance. Once just a canned lunch meat, spam now refers to junk email, and it's all because of a 1970 "Monty Python" sketch. And there are plenty of other examples, too, from shows like Friends, SNL, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld.
Read on to learn about some of the most enduring words that got their starts on popular TV shows.