Using Old Words

Question

An important goal in writing is to avoid plagiarism. But does this mean we have to state every idea in phrases we've never heard before?

Answer 1

No, it doesn't mean that.

A key test of whether something is public domain or not is if it appears in multiple venues without attribution.

The phrase "No fucking way!" is public domain. Most speaking language and idioms are public domain. If an author points at a copyrighted book, and says "I have that phrase in my book," all you have to do in defense is show some earlier published work that uses that phrase.

For relatively common phrases, most lawyers and judges will not even bother with such a lawsuit, it is a sure loser, a candidate for summary judgement.

If you are worried about some unusual turn of phrase, Google for it (in quotes). The NFW phrase turns up about two million times, by probably millions of authors, in cartoons, GIFs, comics, novels, whatever. If you only find one source, it is likely copyright.

To be safe, you should invent your own clever sayings.

But, unless somebody is actually talking about or quoting a copyrighted work like a novel or movie, what you hear in normal conversation is fair game.

Even then, Arnold's Terminator "I'll be back" line is too short and unoriginal to copyright, and was in common usage long before it was written in a script, even with the same ominous threat vibe.

Answer 2

You can't plagiarise accidentally. But merely "using phrases [you've] never heard of before" doesn't prevent you from plagurism.

Plagiarism is the act of passing off ideas or work of some other person as your own work or ideas (source). One way to plagiarise is to copy someone's words verbatim, but you also plagiarise when you claim their ideas as your own without attribution.

If you are writing, and you aren't copying another person's work or ideas, then you aren't plagiarising. If you are writing and you are copying another person's work or ideas, and you give them credit, then you aren't plagiarising. (For example, I used the definition of plagiarism that I found on Oxford Univ. website, but I didn't plagiarise, because I cited them.)

If you copy someone's ideas or work, but put it into your own phrases that you've never heard before, that is still plagiarism!

So don't worry that you might use the same phrase as someone else. That isn't copying them, it's not plagiarism.

Do worry about putting in clear citations for any ideas or quotes that you take from someone else. And of course do try to have original ideas, because that makes your work unique.