It’s the traditional time of year for dictionary publishers to announce their “word of the year”. In a year dominated by the pandemic, Oxford Dictionaries decided to choose several, whereas Collins chose “lockdown” from a shortlist dominated by the health emergency. Merriam Webster in the States went with the word “pandemic” itself. Frequently-used words this … Continue reading “2020: A Year in Language”
Language is constantly changing and every year British dictionary publishers Collins likes to look back and see which words have dominated the national conversation. Not necessarily new words, but ones that have come to the fore. The Word of the Year 2018 is… “single-use”. It’s been in the news as more and more campaigners have … Continue reading “Word of the Year: Single-Use”
Each autumn, Britain’s Collins Dictionary announces a Word of the Year, a word or expression that has been omnipresent. For 2017, the WOTY is “fake news”, a term often associated with President Trump. The expression was used a lot during the election campaign. Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has brandished it regularly, on … Continue reading “Word of the Year: Fake News”
