For the first time in its history, the final decision on the Oxford Word of the Year is being placed in the hands of the public to mark a year that has been characterised by reunion, reconnection, and reopening, as well as by activism resulting from economic, social, and political change.
Oxford University Press’s (OUP) expert lexicographers have narrowed the field down to three finalists, and are now asking English speakers around the globe to vote for the word they feel best represents 2022.
The shortlist of three words was revealed at a panel event on November 21, chaired by English lexicographer and broadcaster, Susie Dent.
Experts, including The Wall Street Journal’s language columnist Ben Zimmer, reviewed the evidence and debated the merits of choices, discussing how each finalist has captured the mood and ethos of the last year in its own way.
The shortlisted words are:
• goblin mode n.
slang. A type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations; frequently in ‘in goblin mode’ or to ‘go goblin mode.’
• #IStandWith
Used on social media posts to express solidarity with a specified cause, group, person, etc.
• metaverse n.
A (hypothetical) virtual reality environment in which users interact with one another’s avatars and their surroundings in an immersive way, sometimes posited as a potential extension of or replacement for the internet, World Wide Web, social media, etc.
As part of the annual process, OUP’s expert team of lexicographers scanned the year’s language usage contained in its 19 billion-word corpus of spoken and written language data, paying particular attention to words that have grown in popularity, as well as new words or expressions that have been added to the language (neologisms).
After interrogating the evidence, they identified the top three promising Word of the Year candidates, each of which experienced a dramatic spike in usage and captured one of the significant preoccupations of the year.
Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said: “We’re coming to the end of yet another difficult year, one dominated by stark headlines and struggling communities and we were witness to many responses to this, amongst which were passionate and hopeful displays of activism and intervention.
“Against this challenging backdrop we’ve also embarked on a new post-Covid era, once again spending time with friends and family, gathering for events, and heading back into offices and workplaces.
“Over the past year the world reopened, and it is in that spirit we’re opening up the selection process for the Word of the Year to language lovers everywhere.
“We are all participants in the evolving story of English, and after making it through another hard year we thought word lovers would appreciate being brought into the process with us.
“Selecting Oxford’s Word of the Year every summer is one of the most interesting activities my colleagues and I undertake.
“I hope everyone has as much fun discussing the finalists and casting their vote this year as we did creating the shortlist. I can’t wait to see how the debate unfolds and which contender is crowned the 2022 Word of the Year.”
Over the coming weeks, OUP will be sharing insights into the grammatical and linguistic behaviour of all three words, asking the public to cast their vote and answer the question: Are you #Teammetaverse, #TeamGoblinMode, or #TeamIStandWith?
Voting is open across OUP’s social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn) and website (https://www.oxfordwordoftheyear.com).
The winner will be revealed on December 5.
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