Originality is Overrated

The amount of words you use is directly correlated to the originality of the combination of words.

Say one word. It is 100% certain that someone has said it before you. That is why it exists as a word.

Say two words. The likelihood of someone saying it before you is slightly diminished, but still remains well over 99%. I said. You were.

Apple brain. Not very common, but I'm sure in the history of the English language it has been said before.

Dodo shampoo. This one is still possible, though I'd say the chances of it having never been said before are slightly higher than apple brain.

Heretofore mayonnaise. I'm guessing this one might be original. But then again, throughout the entire history of the English language....who knows?


Now string three words together. The likelihood goes down yet again. Although the percentage would still be well over 99% considering the amount of three word combinations in the English language that make some semblance of sense. (Go ahead, dare me to find a legitimate use for the two word combinations above) But it would be slightly more likely to have never been said than a two word combination.

String more than ten words together and now it gets interesting. The sheer amount of English words mean the combinations are almost endless, but the amount of sentences that have been said in the history of the English language is so vast, that the percentage might still be over 99%...but now, I bet the average person could come up with some combination that has a chance of being original.

My real question here is when the cliff comes in. At what point does the percentage of originality fall off and start its rapid reduction to zero? Because it does eventually reach zero.

Take a novel. The average one is roughly 100,000 words. Those 100,000 words are strung together to form a coherent combination of words that is most likely completely original. I doubt the same 100,000 words have ever been independently written in the same sequence once in the history of the English language. Quite a limb I'm going out on there, eh?

I'd be very interested in which was more likely, 100,000 words being independently the same or coming up with a two word combination that has never been said.

Cantankerous onomatopoeia. Get back to me if you've ever heard that one before.