Tuesday, March 24, 2020

SOL24: Word of the Year?


            I’ve been noticing certain terms in my journal I never used before: “respiratory droplets,” “social distancing,” “Zoom” (the website). Then I thought of the American Dialect Society.
           The AmericanDialect Society chooses a Word of the Year at its annual conference in January. (Last year’s word was “singular they,” and it being the end of a decade, they chose “(my) pronoun” as the word of the decade. Okay, they’re not always single words: alternative facts and milkshake duck have also been winners.)
            So what will be the word/phrase of this year? “pandemic”? “coronavirus”? “COVid-19”? My suggestions above? I hope it won’t be “social collapse” or “depression.” The Society takes nominations all year long at woty@americandialect.org. (Can't seem to make this a clickable link, but you can always copy and paste.) Here’s your chance to weigh in.
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I’m participating in the 13th annual Slice of Life Challenge over at Two Writing Teachers. This is day 24 of the 31-day challenge.  It’s not too late to make space for daily writing in a community that is encouraging, enthusiastic, and eager to read what you have to slice about.  Join in!

9 comments:

  1. I am thinking social distancing will definitely make the urbn dictionary this year.

    Thanks for the fun wordsy post.

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    1. thank you! I learned about the American Dialect Society when I was teaching copy editing. I always began the spring semester with a discussion of the word of the year, and whether students agreed or had other nominations.

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  2. My husband and I had a discussion about new words, and surmised that "social distancing" would definitely be one. Thank you for teaching me something today.

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    1. it's a discussion I would have had with my husband, too. I think he would have hated these words.

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  3. I agree with you, and the other commenters - I think that social distancing will be the winner this year.

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  4. I agree with "social distancing" but I'd also consider "new normal". Thanks for the thoughtful slice. :-) ~JudyK

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    1. it could be. I thought it might have been already, but not so. So "new normal" has a chance.

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  5. I'm still voting for "impeachment" ... but I'm stubborn like that. ;)

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    1. Lol. I actually thought that was all last year. The vote was only February 5. That seems like another century.

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