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As we announced in our newsletter this morning, we invite you to submit your own “word of the year†(or “WOTYâ€) nominations now through the end of the year. We'll accept two- or three-word phrases, too, especially if they behave like compounds–â€hockey mom†is an acceptable WOTY nomination, as is “driving while texting.â€
What word became frequently used in 2008 and has so far most captured the essence of 2008 for you? What expression really seems to embody the spirit of these times? Is there a phrase you keep hearing or reading which always seems so perfectly “right now� Let us know!
Send us an email to words@waywordradio.org or post them right here in this discussion thread. Be sure to explain what the word means and why you think it's a great choice for “word of the year.â€
Remember, we're not looking for your language grudges or your all-time most-petted peeves. We're looking for the words or phrases that help paint the whole picture of 2008.
In the coming weeks, we'll be talking about your nominations, and our own, on the air.
By the way, Grant also does an annual word of the year piece in the New York Times and he's part of the new words committee of the American Dialect Society, which holds the longest-running “word of the year†vote in the world. He'll be considering your nominations for those lists, too! (And he'll give you a sneak peek of some of the ones he's already considering in a future episode.)
I would like to suggest "downsize" for the word of the year. This is not a new word this year, but it is used with increasing frequency. I feel that this is a neologism that is as awkward as it is needless. The word "reduce" generally fits as well, and sounds better. ("Outsource" is another suggested entry for the word of the year competition.) Thanks!
I sent this nomination before I discovered the forum but here is my nomination:
MELTDOWN
This will be the word of the year. If you choose any other word, it will be a mistake that you will regret in future years. The word is "meltdown".
Meltdown is a noun that describes the era of economic collapse that began with the failure of subprime mortgage securities in the second half of 2008.
In the future, people may collect meltdown glass. Children will ask their grandfathers, "How did you and grandma live during the meltdown?" Standard economic activities will be described differently before and after the meltdown. As in: "Mortgage security trading was unregulated before the meltdown. After the meltdown, new international standards were enacted to govern economic activity.
The meltdown is a unique era as was the depression. There has never been a meltdown before and there will never be another meltdown.
Perhaps it doesn't sum up the fate of the world, but the prevalence of the term cougar certainly highlights a new era of women's liberation and a growing freedom in society.
While there is still a slightly more negative connotation attached to this term than its masculine counterparts (playboy, casanova, bachelor etc.), the fact remains that “cougar†has, in large part, come to celebrate the vivacious, sexually active, 40+ woman, even in her pursuit of much younger men.
For the election, I think "punditariat" was a brilliant word. There certainly more OpEd than news in this election.
However, I think that we are forgetting the greater society and its contributions-- and Oprah invented a new word this year that I think has already become common language for most of us without even knowing it-- "vajayjay" for a vagina.
Oprah invented a new word this year that I think has already become common language for most of us without even knowing it– “vajayjay†for a vagina.
Oprah didn't invent it and it wasn't this year that it became popular. I traced it back to 2000, and included it in my New York Times "word of the year" list last year, which was when Oprah used it a couple of times on her show.
I nominate the word securitization. This is the word at the root of our supersized downsizing, bailouts, and meltdown. Securitization, which has never been in the public lexicon, is suddenly on the tip of everyone's tongue when used to describe in six tortuous syllables the cause of the world's malaise. Even the Mavens of Wall Street didn't understand the word until this year and the irony is that there is no security in securitization.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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