Word of the year
Encyclopedia
The word of the year, sometimes capitalized as Word(s) of the Year and abbreviated WOTY or WotY, refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word(s) or expression(s) in the public sphere
during a specific year.
(ADS) has designated one or more words or terms to be the "Word of the Year" in the United States
.
This is in addition to its "Word of the 1990s" (web
), "Word of the 20th Century" (jazz
), "Word of the Past Millennium" (she
), and "Word of the Decade (2000-2009)" (google as a verb). The society also selects words in other categories that vary from year to year, such as most original, most unnecessary, most outrageous and most likely to succeed.
A number of words chosen by the ADS are also on the lists of Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year and the Global Language Monitor
.
being named Word of the Year for 2009, the American Dialect Society named google (a generic form of "Google," meaning "to search the Internet") as its word of the decade.
, said "When you vote for bailout, I guess you’re really voting for ‘hope’ and ‘change,’ too. Though you’d think a room full of pointy-headed intellectuals could come up with something more exciting.” In addition to the overall Word of the Year, the American Dialect Society named other top words of 2008
The Global Language Monitor
on December 1 announced that change was its top word of 2008, followed by bailout and Obamamania. It noted that if it included 'obama-' as a root word or word stem, Obama- in its many forms (ObamaMania, Obamamentum, Obmanomics, Obamacize, Obamanation, etc.), would have overtaken both change, and bailout for the top spot. It also named financial tsunami as the top phrase, and Barack Obama as the top name.
New World Dictionary has announced its short list for 2008's Word of the Year and is inviting public opinion on the following final five contenders:
Webster's New World Dictionary's final Word of the Year selection will be announced via streaming video by Editor-in-Chief Mike Agnes on December 1, 2008.
The New Oxford American Dictionary selected hypermiling, a term used in North America that refers to a set of techniques used to maximize fuel economy, as its Word of the Year for 2008.
, in 1976 a subprime loan was one with a below-prime
interest rate
; it wasn't until 1993 that "subprime" began referring to the rating of the borrower.
Other contenders were:
"It was good that the society focused on a genuine scientific concern, though I believe the nomination came in from outer space," said committee chairman Professor Wayne Glowka.
Other words in the running for 2006 were:
, an English lexicographer has published a column, "A Word a Year", in which she chooses a single word from each of the last 101 years to represent preoccupations of the time. Susie Dent notes that the list is subjective. Each year she gives a completely different set of words.
Since Susie Dent works for the Oxford University Press
, her words of choice are often incorrectly referred to as "Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year".
(GLM) has been selecting the Top Ten Words, Phrases and Names of the Year. To select these words and phrases it claims to use a statistical analysis of language usage in the worldwide print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the Blogosphere, including Social media
, though several linguists and lexicographers have charged that its mathematical methodologies are flawed.
GLM announced its Top Words of the Year for 2011 on November 11, 2011. "'Occupy’ is the Top Word, ‘Arab Spring
’ the Top Phrase and ‘Steve Jobs
’ the Top Name of 2011 in its annual global survey of the English language. Occupy was followed by deficit
, fracking, drone
, and non-veg. Kummerspeck, haboob
, 3Q, Trustafarians, and (the other) 99 rounded out the Top 10.,
, the Wort des Jahres has been selected since 1972 (i.e., for the year of 1971 and up) by the Society of the German Language
.
In addition, the Unwort des Jahres (Unword of the Year or No-no Word of the Year) has been nominated since 1991, as the word in the public speech which is deemed inappropriate and an insult to human dignity. See "Überfremdung
" for an example.
Many words are sometimes nominated for both titles.
Public sphere
The public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action...
during a specific year.
United States
Since 1991, the American Dialect SocietyAmerican Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech...
(ADS) has designated one or more words or terms to be the "Word of the Year" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
This is in addition to its "Word of the 1990s" (web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
), "Word of the 20th Century" (jazz
Jazz (word)
The origin of the word jazz is one of the most sought-after word origins in modern American English. The word's intrinsic interest — the American Dialect Society named it the Word of the Twentieth Century — has resulted in considerable research, and its history is well documented...
), "Word of the Past Millennium" (she
She
She is the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English.She can also may refer to:-Literature and film:* She: A History of Adventure, a novel by H...
), and "Word of the Decade (2000-2009)" (google as a verb). The society also selects words in other categories that vary from year to year, such as most original, most unnecessary, most outrageous and most likely to succeed.
A number of words chosen by the ADS are also on the lists of Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year and the Global Language Monitor
Global Language Monitor
The Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language...
.
- 1990: bushlips (similar to "bullshitBullshitBullshit is a common English expletive which may be shortened to the euphemism bull or the initialism B.S. In British English, "bollocks" is a comparable expletive, although bullshit is commonly used in British English...
" – stemming from President George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
's 1988 "Read my lips: no new taxesRead my lips: no new taxes"Read my lips: no new taxes" is a now-famous phrase spoken by then presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted the nomination on August 18. Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line was the most prominent sound bite from the speech...
" broken promise) - 1991: mother of allThe mother of allThe mother of all... has become a stock phrase in English-language public discourse and popular culture. It implies the largest or most significant example of a class, which completely overshadows all other cases in the class...
(as in Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's foretold "Mother of all battlesGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
") - 1992: Not!Not!Not! is a grammatical construction in the English language that became a sarcastic catchphrase in North America in the 1990s. A declarative statement is made, followed by a pause and then an emphatic "not!" is postfixed. The result is a negation of the original declarative statement...
(meaning "just kidding") - 1993: information superhighwayInformation superhighwayThe information superhighway or infobahnwas a popular term used through the 1990s to refer to digital communication systems and the Internet telecommunications network. It is associated with United States Senator and later Vice-President Al Gore....
- 1994: cyber, morphMorphingMorphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction...
(to change form) - 1995: webWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
and (to) newt (to act aggressively as a newcomer, like Speaker Newt GingrichNewt GingrichNewton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
during the Contract with AmericaContract with AmericaThe Contract with America was a document released by the United States Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. Written by Larry Hunter, who was aided by Newt Gingrich, Robert Walker, Richard Armey, Bill Paxon, Tom DeLay, John Boehner and Jim Nussle, and in part using text...
) - 1996: mom (as in "soccer momSoccer momThe phrase soccer mom broadly refers to a middle-class suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to their sporting events or other activities. Indices of American magazines and newspapers show relatively little usage of the term until a 1995...
") - 1997: millennium bugYear 2000 problemThe Year 2000 problem was a problem for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits.In computer programs, the practice of representing the year with two...
- 1998: e- (as in "e-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
" or "e-commerceElectronic commerceElectronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, eCommerce or e-comm, refers to the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. However, the term may refer to more than just buying and selling products online...
") - 1999: Y2KYear 2000 problemThe Year 2000 problem was a problem for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits.In computer programs, the practice of representing the year with two...
- 2000: chadChad (paper)Chad refers to paper fragments created when holes are made in a paper, card or similar synthetic materials, typically computer punched tape or punched cards. Sometimes chad has been used as a mass noun or as a countable noun, and the plural is commonly either "chad" or "chads"...
(from the 2000 presidential election controversy in FloridaUnited States presidential election in Florida, 2000The 2000 United States presidential election in Florida took place on November 7, 2000 as it did in the other 49 states and D.C., which was part of the 2000 United States presidential election...
) - 2001: 9-11September 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
- 2002: weapons of mass destructionWeapons of mass destructionA weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
(WMD) - 2003: metrosexualMetrosexualMetrosexual is a neologism derived from metropolitan and heterosexual coined in 1994 describing a man who spends a lot of time and money on shopping for his appearance...
- 2004: red state, blue state, purple state (from the United States presidential election, 2004United States presidential election, 2004The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
) - 2005 : truthinessTruthinessTruthiness is a "truth" that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" or that it "feels right" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts....
(popularized on The Colbert Report) - 2006: plutoed (demoted or devalued, as happened to the former planet Pluto)
- 2007: subprime (an adjective used to describe a risky or less than ideal loan, mortgage, or investment)
- 2008: bailout (in the specific sense of the rescue by the government of companies on the brink of failure, including large players in the banking industry.)
- 2009: tweetTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
(noun, a short, timely message sent via the Twitter.com service, and verb, the act of sending such a message) - 2010: appApplication softwareApplication software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
(noun, an abbreviated form of application, a software program for a computer or phone operating system)
2010 selections
After a run-off with "nom," app was named the 2010 Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society.- Most Useful: nom (Onomatopoetic form connoting eating, esp. pleasurably. Can be used as an interjection or noun to refer to delicious food.)
- Most Creative: prehab (Preemptive enrollment in a rehab facility to prevent relapse of an abuse problem.)
- Most Unnecessary: refudiate (Blend of refute and repudiate used by Sarah Palin on Twitter.)
- Most Outrageous: gate rape (Pejorative term for invasive new airport pat-down procedure.)
- Most Euphemistic: kinetic event (Pentagon term for violent attacks on troops in Afghanistan.)
- Most Likely to Succeed: trend (Verb: to exhibit a burst of online buzz.)
- Least Likely to Succeed: culturomicsCulturomicsCulturomics is a form of computational lexicology that studies human behavior and cultural trends through the quantitative analysis of digitized texts. Researchers data mine large digital archives to investigate cultural phenomena reflected in language and word usage...
(Research project from GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
analyzing the history of language and culture.) - Fan Words: gleek (A fan of the TV show “GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
” [Glee + geek])
2009 selections
Along with tweetTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
being named Word of the Year for 2009, the American Dialect Society named google (a generic form of "Google," meaning "to search the Internet") as its word of the decade.
- Most Useful: fail (A noun or interjection used when something is egregiously unsuccessful. Usually written as “FAIL!”)
- Most Creative: Dracula sneeze (Covering one’s mouth with the crook of one’s elbow when sneezing, seen as similar to popular portrayals of the vampire Dracula, in which he hides the lower half of his face with a cape.)
- Most Unnecessary: sea kittens (fish [according to PETA])
- Most Outrageous: death panelDeath panel"Death panel", , is a term that originated during a 2009 political debate regarding health care reform in the United States. The death panel claim portrayed the health care bills then pending before the U.S. Congress as encouraging euthanasia for the elderly and as rationing health care for the...
(A supposed committee of doctors and/or bureaucrats who would decide which patients were allowed to receive treatment, ostensibly leaving the rest to die.) - Most Euphemistic: hike the Appalachian trailMark Sanford disappearance and extramarital affairFor six days in June 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's whereabouts were unknown and there was media coverage of what was described as his disappearance. Subsequently the Governor reappeared and reported that he had been in Argentina with a woman with whom he was having an extramarital...
(To go away to have sex with one’s illicit lover. Follows on a statement by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who went to Argentina to visit his mistress.) - Most Likely to Succeed: twenty-ten (A pronunciation of the year 2010, as opposed to saying “two thousand ten” or “two thousand and ten.” [twenty- as prefix until 2099])
- Least Likely to Succeed: name of the decade 2000-2009, such as Naughties, Aughties, Oughties, etc.
2008 selections
The chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society, Grant BarrettGrant Barrett
Grant Barrett is an American lexicographer, specializing in slang, jargon and new usage. He is also co-host and co-producer of the nationwide public radio show A Way With Words, and editor of the Official Dictionary of Unofficial English , the Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang Grant...
, said "When you vote for bailout, I guess you’re really voting for ‘hope’ and ‘change,’ too. Though you’d think a room full of pointy-headed intellectuals could come up with something more exciting.” In addition to the overall Word of the Year, the American Dialect Society named other top words of 2008
- Most Useful: Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
(both names as combining forms) - Most Creative: recombobulation area (An area at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee in which passengers that have just passed through security screening can get their clothes and belongings back in order.)
- Most Unnecessary: moofing (From “mobile out of office,” meaning working on the go with a laptop and cell phone. Created by a PR firm.)
- Most Outrageous: terrorist fist jab (A knuckle-to-knuckle fist bump, or “dap,” traditionally performed between two black people as a sign of friendship, celebration or agreement. It was called the “terrorist fist jab” by the newscaster E. D. Hill, formerly of Fox News.)
- Most Euphemistic: scooping technician (A person whose job it is to pick up dog poop.)
- Most Likely to Succeed: shovel-ready (Used to describe infrastructure projects that can be started quickly, when funds become available.)
- Least Likely to Succeed: PUMA (An acronym for Party Unity My Ass, used by Democrats who were disaffected after Hillary Clinton failed to secure a sufficient number of delegates. It was later said to stand for People United Means ActionPeople United Means ActionPUMA was a political action committee in the United States that opposed the Democratic Party leadership and the nomination of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President in the 2008 presidential election. PUMA began as an effort of supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton who...
.) - Election-Related Word: maverick (A person who is beholden to no one. Widely used by the Republican Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates, John McCainJohn McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and Sarah PalinSarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
. Also in the adjectival form mavericky, used by Tina FeyTina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
portraying Palin on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.)
The Global Language Monitor
Global Language Monitor
The Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language...
on December 1 announced that change was its top word of 2008, followed by bailout and Obamamania. It noted that if it included 'obama-' as a root word or word stem, Obama- in its many forms (ObamaMania, Obamamentum, Obmanomics, Obamacize, Obamanation, etc.), would have overtaken both change, and bailout for the top spot. It also named financial tsunami as the top phrase, and Barack Obama as the top name.
New World Dictionary has announced its short list for 2008's Word of the Year and is inviting public opinion on the following final five contenders:
- leisure sickness (noun): a purported syndrome, not universally recognized by psychologists, by which some people (typically characterized as workaholics) are more likely to report feeling ill during weekends and vacations than when working
- overshare (verb): to divulge excessive personal information, as in a blog or broadcast interview, prompting reactions ranging from alarmed discomfort to approval
- cyberchondriac (noun): a hypochondriac who imagines that he or she has a particular disease based on medical information gleaned through the Internet
- selective ignorance (noun): the practice of selectively ignoring distracting, irrelevant, or otherwise unnecessary information received, such as through e-mail and news reports.
- youthanasia (noun): “ … the controversial practice of performing a battery of age-defying medical procedures to end lifeless skin and wrinkles; advocated by some as a last-resort measure to put the chronically youth-obsessed out of their misery … Think of it as mercy lifting.” —Armand Limnander, New York Times
Webster's New World Dictionary's final Word of the Year selection will be announced via streaming video by Editor-in-Chief Mike Agnes on December 1, 2008.
The New Oxford American Dictionary selected hypermiling, a term used in North America that refers to a set of techniques used to maximize fuel economy, as its Word of the Year for 2008.
2007 selection
"Subprime" was a popular choice for the 2007 word of the year and received over two-thirds of the votes cast. The meaning of "subprime" changed during the last quarter of the 20th century. According to the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, in 1976 a subprime loan was one with a below-prime
Prime rate
Prime rate or prime lending rate is a term applied in many countries to a reference interest rate used by banks. The term originally indicated the rate of interest at which banks lent to favored customers, i.e., those with high credibility, though this is no longer always the case...
interest rate
Interest rate
An interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower for the use of money that they borrow from a lender. For example, a small company borrows capital from a bank to buy new assets for their business, and in return the lender receives interest at a predetermined interest rate for...
; it wasn't until 1993 that "subprime" began referring to the rating of the borrower.
Other contenders were:
- green- "designates environmental concern, as in greenwashGreenwashGreenwashing , or "green sheen", is a form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that a company's policies or products are environmentally friendly.-Usage:...
ing" - surgeSurge (disambiguation)-Science:* Jerk or "surge", the rate of change of acceleration in physics* Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low pressure weather system...
"an increase in troops in a war zone", as in the Iraq War troop surge of 2007Iraq War troop surge of 2007In the context of the Iraq War, the surge refers to United States President George W. Bush's 2007 increase in the number of American troops in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province.... - FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
all parts of speech - waterboardingWaterboardingWaterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
"an interrogation technique in which the subject is immobilized and doused with water to simulate drowning" - Googlegänger "a person with your name who shows up when you google yourself" (portmanteauPortmanteau wordA portmanteau or portmanteau word is a blend of two words or morphemes into one new word. A portmanteau word typically combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings...
of GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and DoppelgängerDoppelgängerIn fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
) - wide stance, "to have a —": "To be hypocritical or to express two conflicting points of view" (in reference to Senator Larry CraigLarry CraigLarry Edwin Craig is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate , preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House, representing Idaho's first district . His 28 years in the Congress rank as the second-longest in Idaho history, trailing only William...
after his 2007 arrest at an airport)
2006 selection
"Plutoed" beat "climate canary" in a run-off vote for the 2006 word of the year. A "climate canary" is something whose poor health indicates a looming environmental catastrophe."It was good that the society focused on a genuine scientific concern, though I believe the nomination came in from outer space," said committee chairman Professor Wayne Glowka.
Other words in the running for 2006 were:
- flogFake blogA fake blog is an electronic communication form that appears to originate from a credible, non-biased source, but which in fact is created by a company or organization for the purpose of marketing a product, service, or political viewpoint...
- "an advertisement disguised as a blog or web log" - The Decider - a political catch phrase said by former United States President George W. Bush
- prohibited liquids - "fluids that cannot be transported by passengers on airplanes"
- macacaMacaca (slur)Macaca is a word used by George Allen in 2006 that began a controversy because it sounds similar to the French word "macaque". It was reported by journalists to be a racial slur against African immigrants in some European cultures; and by Zairian painter Tshibumba Kanda Matulu to be a pejorative...
- "an American citizen treated as an alien"; "macaca" was also the Global Language MonitorGlobal Language MonitorThe Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language...
's most politically incorrectPolitical correctnessPolitical correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
word for 2006.
A Word a Year
Since 2004, Susie DentSusie Dent
Susie Dent is an English lexicographer, well known as the resident dictionary expert and adjudicator on Channel 4’s long-running game show Countdown. As of January 2009, she is the longest-serving member of the current on-screen team, having first appeared on the show in 1992.Dent was educated at...
, an English lexicographer has published a column, "A Word a Year", in which she chooses a single word from each of the last 101 years to represent preoccupations of the time. Susie Dent notes that the list is subjective. Each year she gives a completely different set of words.
Since Susie Dent works for the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, her words of choice are often incorrectly referred to as "Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year".
Top Words, Phrases and Names of the Year
Since 2000, the Global Language MonitorGlobal Language Monitor
The Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language...
(GLM) has been selecting the Top Ten Words, Phrases and Names of the Year. To select these words and phrases it claims to use a statistical analysis of language usage in the worldwide print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the Blogosphere, including Social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
, though several linguists and lexicographers have charged that its mathematical methodologies are flawed.
GLM announced its Top Words of the Year for 2011 on November 11, 2011. "'Occupy’ is the Top Word, ‘Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
’ the Top Phrase and ‘Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
’ the Top Name of 2011 in its annual global survey of the English language. Occupy was followed by deficit
Deficit
A government budget deficit is the amount by which some measure of government revenues falls short of some measure of government spending.If a government is running a positive budget deficit, it is also said to be running a negative budget surplus .-Primary deficit, total deficit, and debt:The...
, fracking, drone
Drone
-Nature:The male sex of social Hymenopterans, such as a* Drone * male wasp* male ant-Chemicals:An abbreviation referring to one of two psychoactive drugs:* Mephedrone* 4-Methoxymethcathinone, commonly known as methedrone-Vehicles:...
, and non-veg. Kummerspeck, haboob
Haboob
A haboob is a type of intense duststorm carried on an atmospheric gravity current. Haboobs are regularly observed in arid regions throughout the world. They have been observed in the Sahara desert , as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Kuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq...
, 3Q, Trustafarians, and (the other) 99 rounded out the Top 10.,
Germany
In GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Wort des Jahres has been selected since 1972 (i.e., for the year of 1971 and up) by the Society of the German Language
Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache
The Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache , or GfdS, with its headquarters in Wiesbaden is Germany's most important government-sponsored language society...
.
In addition, the Unwort des Jahres (Unword of the Year or No-no Word of the Year) has been nominated since 1991, as the word in the public speech which is deemed inappropriate and an insult to human dignity. See "Überfremdung
Überfremdung
Überfremdung , literally "over-foreignization", is a German-language term used in politics to suggest an excess of immigration. The word is compounded from über meaning "over" or "overly" and fremd meaning "foreign".-Political uses:...
" for an example.
Many words are sometimes nominated for both titles.
See also
- Neologism
- Language ReportLanguage ReportThe Language Report was an account of the state and use of the English language published by the Oxford University Press in 2003...
from Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as... - List of Merriam–Webster's Words of the Year
- Top Words of the YearTop Words of the YearSince 2000, the Global Language Monitor has been selecting the Top Ten Words, Phrases and Names of the Year. To select these words and phrases it uses a statistical analysis of language usage in the worldwide print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the Blogosphere, including...
from Global Language MonitorGlobal Language MonitorThe Global Language Monitor is an Austin, Texas-based company that collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language...
Further reading
- John Ayto, "A Century of New Words", Series: Oxford Paperback Reference (2007) ISBN 0-19-921369-0
- John Ayto, "Twentieth Century Words