Name:
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Some things, they's just no use fightin'.
So this year's New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year is.....
I will refrain from criticism, switching from my prescriptive to my descriptive grammarian hat when I know there's no sense in protesting. It is what it is, and I humbly confess to having used the word (as a verb) many times this year and last.
In case the Oxford WOTY is new to some of you, previous selections in the past two decades include:
Obviously, some of these have enjoyed more longevity than others. We'll have to see how "unfriend" fares....Perhaps by 2030 we'll have figured out how to choose only friends who last.
[I do admit to being relieved that three of the finalists didn't make the cut: "tramp stamp" (a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman), "choice mom" (a person who chooses to be a single mother), and "deleb" (a dead celebrity).]
Oxford Word of the Year
UNFRIEND
I will refrain from criticism, switching from my prescriptive to my descriptive grammarian hat when I know there's no sense in protesting. It is what it is, and I humbly confess to having used the word (as a verb) many times this year and last.
In case the Oxford WOTY is new to some of you, previous selections in the past two decades include:
Not!
information superhighway
Y2K
email
(to) newt
cyber
chad
9-11
web
truthiness
plutoed
bailout
information superhighway
Y2K
(to) newt
cyber
chad
9-11
web
truthiness
plutoed
bailout
Obviously, some of these have enjoyed more longevity than others. We'll have to see how "unfriend" fares....Perhaps by 2030 we'll have figured out how to choose only friends who last.
[I do admit to being relieved that three of the finalists didn't make the cut: "tramp stamp" (a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman), "choice mom" (a person who chooses to be a single mother), and "deleb" (a dead celebrity).]
Oxford Word of the Year
Labels: Language, Social Observation
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