GLOBAL LANGUAGE MONITOR (GLM) Names the Numerals the Top Words of the Year 2021 for Global English (#WOTY 2021)

GLM has been defining the Top Words of the 21st Century for Global English Since the Year 2000.

GLM is the only WOTY for Worldwide English

Next Big Numbers for 2022:

US:  1,000,000 Covid Deaths

World:  5,500,000 Covid Deaths

 Media Contact:  Paul JJ Payack    pjjp@post.harvard.edu, +1 (737) 215-7750

Austin, TEXAS, December 30 - January 4. The Global Language Monitor has named “the Numerals” the Top Words of the Year for 2021 for Global English.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has dominated the news in 2021 as it had in 2020.  However, It’s the numbers that accompany every story, in any language, at any time, in any medium that lift the numerals to the lofty position of Word of the Year (#WOTY).

There are, literally, hundreds of billions of permutations of the basic ten numerals   And no mention of Covid-19 is complete without a full run-down of the relevant stats.  For example, this week the media reported that “record number of U.S. COVID-19 infections, with 441,278 new cases, surpassing the previous high of about 290,000 cases reported earlier in Dec., nearly surpassing the previous daily record of 294,015 set before vaccines were widely available last January”.

The seven-day moving average is now more than 240,000 cases a day.

The Heart emoji was the Top Word of 2014 the first time a symbol took the honor, though the hashtag # also made the 2014 list.

The Top Words of the Year 2021 for Global English follow.

  1. The Numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0) – Every time Covid (or one of its variants) is mentioned, it is surrounded by three to five numbers. Covid-19 currently has about 4 billion citations on Google, which are accompanied by tens of billions of supporting numbers.
  2. Covid-19 – Word of the Year in 2020, could be word of the year in 2022. perhaps for the decade? Perhaps the 21st century?
  3. Wokeness – The state of being awakened to the social distresses found amongst us. Though this appears to occur for every generation it is used by politicians as a never-before-witnessed phenomenon.  Favored by Progressives.
  4. Variant – The longer the coronavirus persists, the more variations will emerge. Remember the great plague in London in 1666?  It was merely a replay of the bubonic plague of the mid-1300s. And the Hong Kong Flu?  A replay of the Spanish Flu of the World War 1 era.
  5. The Pronouns – People have been attempting to re-define their language for their own political purposes, at least since the French Revolution. The Marxists expanded the practice, right comrade?  The practice increased during the Sexual Revolution (Ms., etc.) and continues to grow during the recent ‘racial reckoning.  And today, the Woke among us are attempting to use personal “woke pronouns” to help define their sexual orientation (and yours).

Here is a list of gender-neutral pronouns:

He/She — Zie, Sie, Ey, Ve, Tey, E

Him/Her — Zim, Sie, Em, Ver, Ter, Em

His/Her — Zir, Hir, Eir, Vis, Tem, Eir

His/Hers — Zis, Hirs, Eirs, Vers, Ters, Eirs

Himself/Herself — Zieself, Hirself, Eirself, Verself, Terself, Emself

  1. “Flatten the Curve.” – Don’t hear too many discussing ‘Flattening the Curve” nowadays.
  2. Supply Chain – You knew the global economy was linked in ways never before imagined. Now you KNOW it.
  3. Cancel Culture – A movement to negate whatever political speech you find inconvenient. Particularly strong on college campuses.
  4. Latinx – Gender-neutral version for people of Hispanic heritage, formerly Latino ad Latina.   I am planning to refer to myself henceforward as HUMANX.
  5. D Variant – Another Covid-19 variant
  6. Omicrom – Yet another Covid variant. This can go on for decades (see above).
  7. Coronavirus – Human coronavirus was first identified in the mid-1960s. Unfortunately, Covid-19 will be far from the last encounter.
  8. Joe Biden – 46th and current President of the United States. Biden has about one half the number of citations as his predecessor.
  9. Donald Trump – 45th president of the United States. Trump has twice as many current citations as his successor, Joe Biden.
  10. Tokyo Olympics – The 2021, nee 2020 Olympics were a modest disappointment, nevertheless a major achievement to have taken place in the midst of a raging worldwide pandemic
  11. Lockdown – At the end of the various national lockdowns; many felt like they had been locked up.
  12. WHO – The World Health Organization, whose charter requires it to help attain “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health”.
  13. Global Warming – ‘Climate Change’ and/or ‘Global Warming’ have ranked near the top of this list for the entire century, thus far.
  14. January 6 Event at the U.S. Capitol Building, according to Global Citations 1) Attack, 2) Uprising, 3} Insurrection.
  15. Vaccine – Operation Warp Speed has begot a number of vaccines with others, no doubt, to follow.
  16. Afghanistan – The fall and unseemly retreat from Afghanistan cast a pall over an already somber year.

Global Language Monitor began recording the Top Words of the Year in 2000 to document the history of the 21st Century through the English language, the world’s first truly global language. The words are culled throughout the English-speaking world, which as of January 2021 ranks more than 3.18 billion speakers. Global Language Monitor employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global internet and social media analysis.

NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the internet, blogosphere, and the top 300,000 print and electronic global media as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

In addition, the Global Language Monitor has also tracked the Top Words, Phrases and Names of the 21st Century.

More information about these and the company can be found at https://languagemonitor.com/about/about-2/About Global Language Monitor

Based in Austin, Texas, the Global Language Monitor collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language. The company is known for its Word of the Year, political analysis, college and university rankings, high-tech buzzwords, and media analytics. For more information, visit Languagemonitor.com.

Media Contact::  Paul JJ Payack

President & Chief Word Analyst
The Global Language Monitor

Austin, Texas 78717
pjjp@post.harvard.edu Private Email

 

Global Language Monitor Announces That ‘Covid’ is the Top Word of 2020

Global Language Monitor Announces That ‘Covid’ is the Top Word of 2020 (Top 50 #WOTY Ranked)

Global Language Monitor Announces That 'Covid' is the Top Word of 2020

 

 

 

Global Language Monitor (GLM), the data research company that documents, analyzes, and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, has announced that Covid is the Top Word of 2020 in its mid-year update.

It’s no surprise that ‘covid’ has risen to the top of the rankings,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst of GLM. “However, ‘covid’ has received the highest number of citations ever recorded in our global survey. In fact, ‘covid’ has outranked all previous Words of the Year in the 21st century by a factor of 100, or more.”

Covid is the commonly used shorthand for the shorthand for Covid-19. Covid-19 is the official name of the virus caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus, so named in WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Covid-19 is ranked No. 2 on GLM’s mid-year update. The Top Ten Words of the Year (#WOTY) for 2020 include Covid, Covid-19, Coronavirus, Corona, Face mask, Progress, Truth, Social Distancing, Trade War, and Sustainability.

Top Words of the Year of 2020 (#WOTY2020) mid-year update follow (Rank, Word, Definition/Comment).

Please Note:  Typically, the Global Language Monitor publishes the Top Twenty Words in its rankings.  In this #WOTY2020 mid-year update, for the historical record, we are extending the published rankings to the Top Fifty. 

Global Language Monitor
Top Words of 2020 for Global English (Mid-year Update
Rank Word   Definition
1 Covid The shorthand for Covid-19 has the largest number of citations ever recorded in the 21st century.
2 Covid-19 The name of the virus caused by the SARS CoV-2 by   WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
3 Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 full name of virus that causes Covied-19.
4 Corona From the Latin for ‘crown’.  Compare the Sun’s corona during a total eclipse.
5 Face mask A face covering that helps halt the spread of Covid-19 to varying degrees depending on the material and number of layers.
6 Progress The belief that society moves ever towards betterment
7 Truth The idea that there is an objective, discernible reality for humans to discover and cherish.
8 Social Distancing The distance individuals should keep from each other to lessen risk of virus transmission, usually about 2 meters or six feet.
9 Trade War Colossal struggle between US and China with worldwide repercussions.
10 Sustainability Creating an environment that supplies certain needs without comprmising future production. 
11 Flatten the Curve The ability to manage the number of case so as to not overwhelm the hospital system.
12 Lockdown Restricting movement outside home or district.
13 Identity Politics Politics based on certain elements of one’s makeup, such as skin color or ethic background, or gender.
14 Progressives The word ‘liberal’ outlived its usefulness as the description of one’s political leanings.
15 Zoom Group meetings held over videoconferencing channels.
16 Quarantine Restricting physical movements to one’s home or institution, often separated from all others.
17 Migrants People moving from one nation to another.
18 Donald Trump Donald J. Trump, the 46th president of the US.
19 Symptoms Physical conditions that may signify the presence of a virus or illness.
20 Outbreak The seemingly sudden appearance of a disease in a community or geographic location.
21 CDC The Centers fo Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.
22 Conservatives Political philosophy that favors saving the best from the past while moving toward the future.
23 Unemployment Highest unemployment numbers the US has seen since the Great Recession — and possibly the Depression.
24 Climate Change Climate change has ranked in the Top Ten for the last dozen years or so. 
25 Hand Sanitizer Washing one’s hands with an anti-bacterial soap for thirty seconds is a strong barrier against Covid-19.
26 White Privilege Supposed advantages carried by Whites by virture of their ethnic heritage.
27 The Pandemic Current global pandemic precipitated by SARS-CoV-2.
28 The Virus Shorthand for Covid-19.
29 Work at Home The result of social distancing guidelines where employees must stay separated from each other.
30 Stimulus Massive $3 trillion+ funding effort by the US Federal Government to help keep families (and the economy) afloat.
31 George Floyd George Floyd, a black American, was killed by a police officer kneeling on his neck for some eight minutes in Minneapolis.  His death sparked global protests.
32 Black Lives Matter A movement protesting police brutality against African-Americans.  
33 Woke The state of suddenly becoming aware of social injustices in the society.
34 Joe Biden Presumptive presidential nominee of the Democrat Party against President Trump.
35 Wuhan Largest city in Central China, capital of Hubei Province, population 11,000,000; original epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak.
36 WHO WHO – World Health Organization was established in 1948 by the United Nations as the agency overseeing international public health.
37 Disinfectant A chemical agent that kills bacteria.
38 New Normal The new reality of the pandemic-ravaged world.
38 MAGA Campaign slogan of President Trump in 2016.
39 Fake News Packaged news, planted sources, one-sided exposes, party lines, and official narratives are a new phenomenon only to those with no sense of history.
40 Shelter-in-place Being confined to one’s home or institution to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
41 Nancy Pelosi The Speaker of the House of Representatives; the highest ranked Democratic office holder.
42 Self Isolate Quarantined for a minimum of 14 days after being exposed to Covid-19 to help stop the spread of the virus.
43 Dr. Anthony Fauci Dr. Anthony Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
44 “I Can’t Breathe” The last words uttered by George Floyd as he lay dying at the hands of Minneapolis police.
45 Essential Workers    Those workers who perform ‘essential’ tasks during the coronavirus pandemic, most notably in healthcare, food production and distribution, and the service sector.
46 Wet Market Outdoor markets that offer recently slaughtered meat, fish and poultry; sometimes including live animals.
47 Impeach Trump The Trump impeachment effort ended with a vote of acquittal on February 5, 2020, just as the pandemic was taking off in the US
48 Defund Police A movement to re-focus police departments to social welfare duties.
49 Super Spreader A single person or event that propagates ‘clusters’ of the outbreak.   Some 20% of infected super spreaders could be responsible for 80% of viral transmission.
50 Dr. Deborah  Birx Dr. Deborah Birx is the  Coronavirus Response Coordinator, White House Coronavirus Task Force.
The Global Language Monitor

 

Typically, the Global Language Monitor ranks words, phrases, and names on three separate lists, and the lists are limited to 20 items. For this effort, GLM has combined the lists and extended the word count to 50 items. 

Global Language Monitor began recording the Top Words of the Year in 2000 to document the history of the 21st Century through the English language, the world’s first truly global language. The words are culled throughout the English-speaking world, which as of January 2018 ranks more than 2.58 billion speakers. Global Language Monitor employs its NarrativeTracker​ technologies for global internet and social media analysis.

NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the internet, blogosphere, and the top 300,000 print and electronic global media as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

In addition, the Global Language Monitor has also tracked the Top Words, Phrases and Names of the 21st Century.

More information about these and the company can be found at Languagemonitor.com.

About Global Language Monitor

Based in Austin, Texas, the Global Language Monitor collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language. The company is known for its Word of the Year, political analysis, college and university rankings, high-tech buzzwords, and media analytics. For more information, visit Languagemonitor.com.

Media Contact:

Paul JJ Payack​
info@languagemonitor.com

pjjp@post.Harvard.edu

1 737.215.7750

Source: Global Language Monitor

Share:


Categories: International NewsGeneral Interest

Tags: 2020data researchGlobal Language MonitorlanguageTop Words of the YeartrendingtrendsWOTY2020

Global Language Monitor Announces ‘Woke’ is the 2019 Word of the Year for Global English Worldwide

 

This is the twentieth consecutive survey since the turn of the century that Global Language Monitor has tracked the Word of the Year.


NEWS PROVIDED BY The Global Language Monitor 

Dec 17, 2019, 13:24 ET

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

  •  

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Global Language Monitor, a company that documents, analyzes, and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, has announced that ‘Woke’ is the Top Word of the Year (#WOTY) for 2019. Woke has also dramatically risen in use during the last decade.

Woke, the Top Trending Word of 2019 for Global English thus far has dramatically risen in U.S.  during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram graph.

Woke, the Top Trending Word of 2019 for Global English thus far has dramatically risen in U.S. during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram graph.

In progressive-based language, ‘woke’ describes an epiphany-like experience, where one is awakened to the call of social justice and the failures of the past,” said Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of the Global Language Monitor. “Every generation in the Post-Modern era has had similar experiences be they Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, the Women’s Movement, LGBT rights, and beyond. A key distinction here is that the sins of the past are now viewed in the context of the present as subjects to be rectified.”

Woke’ traces back through the Old English and is defined as to arise, to come to be, and to be born. It’s from Anglo-Saxon and Old High German ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root ‘weg’ defined as to be strong and to be lively.

Woke,’ the Top Word of the Year for Global English has dramatically risen in use in the U.S. during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram.

Progress as the Top Un-trending Word

In a first, GLM named the Top Un-trending Word (or Decliner) for 2019, which is thus far ‘Progress.’ Payack noted, “The concept of progress has had a profound influence on the advance of Western Civilization since ancient times. The idea of ‘progress’ as espoused in the works of Enlightenment thinkers had considerable influence on the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The word though has significantly fallen especially since the mid-1960s as shown in the Google Ngram.

In 2018 there were two distinct Words of the Year (#WOTY): The Moment — A confluence of fame, fortune, and happenstance (Worldwide), and Weaponize — In today’s bitterly partisan infighting, any word, action, or deed can and will be weaponized (U.S. alone).

Global Language Monitor began recording the Top Words of the Year in 2000 to document the history of the 21st Century through the English language, the world’s first truly global language. The words are culled throughout the English-speaking world, which as of January 2018 ranks more than 2.58 billion speakers. Global Language Monitor employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global internet and social media analysis.

NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the internet, blogosphere, and the top 300,000 print and electronic global media as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

Global Language Monitor has also provided a list of the Top 20 Trending Words of the Year for 2019 ranked to date, including last year’s ranking (number after the word) and a brief description or commentary of usage.

  1. Woke (5) — An epiphany-like experience, where one is awakened to the call of social justice.
  2. Consequential — Presidents are now judged on the ‘consequentiality’ of their administrations.
  3. Migrants (16) — The continuing worldwide movement of mass migrations.
  4. Opioids (3) — The scourge continues as the nation seems a bit inured to the devastation (more casualties than all deaths in U.S. Wars from WWII to present).
  5. Collusion (11) — The report is filed and final, but the controversies continue.
  6. Anthropocene — Did a new human-influenced geological epoch actually begin in 1950?
  7. Heartbeat — Fetal heartbeat bills are now front-and-center in state legislatures across the nation.
  8. Blue Wave — The Democrats winning back control of Congress in the 2018 Mid-terms.
  9. Family Separation (6) — Family detention and separations actually began in 2014. This is a grave and intractable matter, with plenty of blame to spread around.
  10. Trade War (7) — As we first noted in 2009, “The Rise of China” is a geopolitical event of the first order with the seismic shockwaves continuing to echo around the world.
  11. Fake News (8) — Packaged news, planted sources, one-sided exposes, party lines, and official narratives are a new phenomenon only to those with no sense of history.
  12. Climate Change — 8,000 years ago, New York City was under a mile of ice.
  13. The Moment (1) — A confluence of fame, fortune, and happenstance.
  14. Nukes (4) — Last year North Korea and in 2019 Iran and Russia added to the mix.
  15. Progressives — The word ‘liberal’ outlived its usefulness as the description of one’s political leanings.
  16. Micro-influencers — Bloggers, Vloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers, and other small yet very influential communities of interest.
  17. Fact Check (17) — New studies suggest that fact-checkers appear to have definite biases.
  18. ICE — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security.
  19. Women’s World Cup — The quadrennial, global celebration of women’s football.
  20. Gerrymander — The divvying up the political spoils (election districts) to the advantage of those in power.

Global Language Monitor has also released the Top Trending Words/Phrases of the Year for 2019 related to the call of social justice ranked to date, including last year’s ranking (number after the word) and a brief description or commentary.

  1. Identity Politics — - Tip O’Neill once famously opined that “all politics IS local”; nowadays it this has been updated to “all politics IS Identity”.
  2. They/Them — A variation of He/She.
  3. Fetal Heartbeat — - The center of a movement in many states to prove fetal viability.
  4. Woke — - The Great Awokening, etc.
  5. MeToo — - The #MeToo movement continues to wend itself into global culture.
  6. Cisgender — Those identifying with their assigned birth gender.
  7. Cultural Appropriation — One group, say white, female college students, adopting popular fashion styles of a minority group. (At one time considered a great compliment.)
  8. Intersectionality — According to Oxford, “The interconnected nature of social categorizations creating overlapping systems of discrimination”.
  9. Microaggression — Comments, looks, and gestures that communicate prejudicial slights, often unintentional.
  10. White Privilege — Societal benefits accrued to whites, by benefit of their cultural heritage. (In other cultures privilege often extends to other cultural groups.)

In addition, the Global Language Monitor has also tracked the Top Words, Phrases and Names of the 21st Century. More information about these and the company can be found at Languagemonitor.com.

About Global Language Monitor

Based in Austin, Texas, the Global Language Monitor collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language. The company is known for its Word of the Year, political analysis, college and university rankings, high-tech buzzwords, and media analytics. For more information, visit Languagemonitor.com.

Media Contact:
Paul JJ Payack
info@languagemonitor.com

Related Images

google-ngram-showing-the-rise-of.png
Google Ngram showing the rise of “Woke”
Woke, the Top Trending Word of 2019 for Global English thus far has dramatically risen in U.S. during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram graph.

google-ngram-showing-the-decline.png
Google Ngram showing the decline of “Progress”
Progress, the Top Un-trending Word Decliner for 2019, has significantly fallen, especially since the mid-1960s as shown in the Google Ngram.

SOURCE The Global Language Monitor

Related Links

https://www.languagemonitor.com

Highlights from the Recent Past

The Only Analysis for Global English Worldwide

18th annual analysis by the Global Language Monitor

“Weinstein Effect” (and #MeToo) is the Top Phrase and Xi Jinping is the Top Name of 2017

 Recently, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) announced that Truth is the Word of the Year for 2017.

For Immediate Release,

For More Information, call 001.512.801.6823 or email info@LanguageMonitor.com.

December 2017,  Austin, Texas (Updated) – Truth has been named the 2017 Word of the Year for Global English (#WOTY2017) by the Global Language Monitor, in its eighteenth annual global analysis. In addition, the Weinstein Effect has been named the Top Phrase and Chinese leader Xi Jingping the Top Name of 2017.  Following ‘Truth’ were the words Narrative, Opioids, Awoke, and Nuclear Option.  Rounding out the Top Ten were Deep State, Robot Apocalypse, Higher Level of Fake News, Blessee, and Lean Into. 

“Since the turn of the century, the Global Language Monitor has been naming the words of global English that have had the most profound influence upon the language, the culture, and/or the world of the 21st century,” said Paul JJ Payack, President, and Chief Word Analyst.  GLM ‘s methodology, true to its Silicon Valley heritage, is to examine the totality of Global English with the tools now available to better understand the underlying trends that shape our words and, hence, our world.”

GLM tracks the top trending words three times during the year before the final assessment is released at year end.  Below are the Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Words of the Year for Global English.

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Words of the Year for Global English

Rank, Word, Previous Rank, Definition 

  1. Truth (1) — Let’s face it.  The conversation is all about truth, or lack thereof.
  2. Narrative (2) — As GLM noted in ’08, Narratives began replacing facts in politics; a harbinger to ’fake news’.
  3. Opioids (10) — More deaths than gun violence and automobiles crashed combined.
  4. Post-Truth (16) — Objective facts are less influential than appeals to emotion or the prevailing narrative.
  5. Woke (New) — Awakening to issues of social and racial justice.
  6. Brexit (4) — [United Kingdom] Definition according to Theresa May:  “Brexit means Brexit”.
  7. Blessee (New) — [RSA, South Africa] Those who are shown financial favor through a ‘Sugar Daddy’ (New)
  8. Non-binary (13) — Gender identity defined as neither male nor female.
  9. Anthropocene (15) — The current geological time period where human activities have had a major environmental impact on the Earth.
  10. Latinx (11) — Neologism for the Hispanic heritage of any stripe.
  11. Ransomware (New) — A type of malware where targeted sites are ‘captured’ and rendered useless until a ransom is paid to the hackers.
  12. Tradie (New) — [Australia] Short for any worker in the trades:  tradesmen, e.g., electricians (sparkies), truckers (truckies), chippies (carpenter) and the like.
  13. Flip (New) — Any quick financial transact5on meant to turn a quick profit, particularly involving real estate.
  14. Covfefe — The Trumpian Typo Heard ‘Round the world.
  15. #Resist — From Latin resistere, from re- + sistere to take a stand
  16. Appropriation (Cultural) — Now refers to the exploitation of an ‘ethnic’ culture by those of white European heritage.

Missed the Cut and former rank: Antifa (18), Alt-right (17), Bigly (5), and Populism (19)

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Phrases of the Year for Global English

Rank, Word, Previous Rank, Definition Weinstein Effect (New) — (#MeToo) Emboldened women across the globe confront those who have been abused them in their past.

  1. Weinstein Effect (and #MeToo) (New) — Emboldened women across the globe confront those who have been abused them in their past.
  2. Nuclear Option (7) — The use of nuclear weapons by either side in the on-going and decades-long North Korean standoff.
  3. Deep State (New) — The idea that entrenched bureaucracies, beholden to no one, controlling the ship of state with little concern for elected officials.  In effect, a ‘Shadow’ government
  4. For Real (FR) (New) — [Indian] It took a half a century for the hip lingo of Venice Beach to proliferate to the call centers of India as FR.
  5. Robot Apocalypse (New) — The oncoming usurpation of Humankind by robots and other advanced forms of Artificial Intelligence.
  6. Fake News (New) — A higher level (and far more dangerous method controlling the news) through special relationships, the tight control of events, planting sources, and keeping the actual facts to a tight inner circle.
  7. Lean Into (New) — Being totally committed (or lean into) a cause, an initiative, or career choice.
  8. Non-binary (13) — Gender identity defined as neither male nor female.
  9. Memory Care (14) — Euphemism for treating Alzheimer and other forms of dementia
  10. Cultural Appropriation — Now refers to the exploitation of an ‘ethnic’ culture by those of white European heritage.

Missed the Cut and former rank: Alt-right (17), Dumpster Fire (9), Nuclear Option for US Senate (6), and Safe Place (20).

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Names of the Year

Rank, Name

  1. Xi Jinping — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
  2. Donald J. Trump — President of the United States of America; Trump took the Top Honors in 2016 and 2015.
  3. Pope Francis —  Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City.
  4. Angela Merkel —  Angela Dorothea Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
  5. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin —  President of Russia
  6. Theresa May — P)rime Minister of the United Kingdom
  7. Kim Jung Un —   North Korean Strongman
  8. Narendra Modi — Prime Minister of India
  9. Donald Tusk — President of the European Commission
  10. Shinzō Abe — Prime Minister of Japan
  11. Justin Trudeau — Prime Minister of Canada
  12. Hurricane Harvey and Maria — Hurricanes that devastated Houston and Puerto Rico, respectively

Methodology:  The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 2.35 billion speakers (January 2018 estimate) GLM employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global Internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the top 375,000 print and electronic global media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

About the Global Language Monitor

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print, and electronic media, as well as the global fashion industry, among others.

For more information, call 1.512.801-6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

Intro to “Word of the Year” Phenomenon

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY   

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

Diogenes Searching For TRUTH in Ancient Greece

 Recently, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) announced that Truth is the Word of the Year for 2017.

Austin, Texas, December 2017.  If you kept abreast of the daily press reports, you would think an outbreak of mass hysteria or at least amnesia had swept over the nations of the West. The world’s leading print and electronic media acted as if the concept of truth had been circumvented, or even, contravened, and sounded alarm after alarm that what we all knew as facts were no longer discernible. The source of this disruption in the news cycle, of course, was what came to be known as fake news and post-truth.

For historical comparisons of a number of the terms used in this analysis, GLM used the Google Ngram Viewer.   You can use the Ngram Viewer to chart frequencies of comma-delimited search strings.  The Google Ngram Viewer uses yearly counts from sources printed between 1500 and 2008, though in some cases later dates of publications are included.

In the first example, frequencies of citations between and among a number of words used to describe the Top Words of the Year for 2016 are plotted between 1940 and the present.

Figure 1. Relative Frequency of citations among words used to describe the Top Words of the Year for 2016

Figure 2. Close-up on Relative Frequency Among Some Top Words of the Year for 2016

Figure 3.  Comparisons of the Words Truth Vs. Lie Since 1740

This is why early in the century, the Global Language Monitor put into place a methodology that clearly states that each considered word or phrase must adhere to the published criteria (see below). The methodology calls for words and phrases from the entire global English linguasphere to be considered, as well as each fulfilling geographic and demographic requirements. This automatically excludes the lists created by those organizations that rely on polls and other such non-scientific tools

A Methodology Optimized for the Wired World -- GLM’s Word of the Year rankings are based upon actual word usage 
throughout the English-speaking world, which now approaches some 2.38 billion people, who use the language 
as a first, second, business language. To qualify for these lists, the words, names, and phrases must meet 
three criteria: 1) found globally, 2) have a minimum of 25,000 citations, and 3) have the requisite ‘depth’ 
and ‘breadth’ of usage. Depth is here defined as appearing in various forms of media; breadth that they must 
appear world-over, not limited to a particular profession or social group or geography. The goal is to find 
the word usage that will endure the test of time.

Global Language Monitor began to use newly available technologies to document the Words of the Year for Global English at the turn of the 21st century, with the idea to encapsulate and capture the essence of the preceding twelve months in a sort of linguistic amber.

Consider for a moment that fact that in 2009 GLM named ‘twitter’ as the Global English Word of the Year, not only as a social media phenomenon but as a potential Weapon of Mass Disruption (or even destruction). Witness: 1) the Arab Spring and 2) the actions of one Donald J. Trump.

Political Correctness

In a time so debilitated by the specter of political correctness (both from the left and the right), it seems rather demeaning to advance the concept of ‘fake news’, once you study its etymology, tracing back the origins of the word ‘fake’.

Cambridge Dictionaries’ definition of fakir: A Muslim (or, loosely, a Hindu) religious ascetic who lives solely on alms. Origin: Early 17th century: via French from Arabic faqīr. Fakir, Arabic Faqīr (“poor”), originally, a mendicant dervish. In mystical usage, the word fakir refers to man’s spiritual need for God, who alone is self-sufficient. Although of Muslim origin, the term has come to be applied in India to Hindus as well.

Fakirs are generally regarded as holy men who are possessed of miraculous powers, such as the ability to walk on fire or to subsist by looking only at the face of God.

In a Languagelog posting by Mark Liberman, How Fakirs Became Fakers, Edmund Wilson comments (from the grave) that Fakirs began to become entwined with fakers with a common usage that arose out of the American spiritualism craze of the 19th century.  This is where one can witness the shift in meaning for the word fakir, from an Islamic religious ascetic to the Hindu “Yogi,” to a sort of street corner or carnival barker or “producer of illusions”.

In other words ‘fake news” joins a long list of ethnic slurs that have imbued American English since before the founding of the republic. They are too many to repeat. However the most common of these might be ‘ethnic-group’ giver’ or ‘ethnic-group rich’. Specifically, using the term fake news could be said to humiliate and/or cast aspersions upon Muslim and/or Hindu holy men. Recent searches of the New York Times found 869 instances of ‘fake news,’ while searches of The Washington Post found 1,352. None mentioned the historical dubiousness of the practice.

You can see this linguistic shift peaking around 1940 and continuing to this day.

Figure 4. Shift in Meaning Between Fakir and Faker During the 1940s

In retrospective, even the whole idea of fake news and post-truth is a bit of an over-reaction. The organizations that were disrupted the most by the appearance of unchecked, non-verifiable and inadequately sourced stories, were those upon which the world came to rely and depend upon to safeguard the information delivered to their audiences as verifiably true. To continue in these roles as stewards of truth, it was incumbent upon them to put into place new methods of testing information.

The unvarnished truth is that the dominant news gathering and distribution organizations fell behind the curve as sources of information multiplied by orders of magnitude. Neither did they comprehend the astonishingly rapid advances in computing power. Finally, the evolution of communication and social media tools advanced far more quickly than the old line media’s ability to adapt to and absorb them.

Decades of reporting on the decline of the US manufacturing base never seemed to register to old media as applicable lessons for themselves. In the mid-’80s, an HBS case study inquired as to which fared better — companies with strategic plans in place or those that had none. The answer: a dead heat. Apparently, companies without strategic plans were able to adjust more quickly to changing market conditions while companies with strategic plans all too often, steadfastly rode these plans straight into oblivion.  (For more information on this phenomenon, check out the first two editions of In Search of Excellence.  Prepare to be shocked.)

What is Truth?

The debate over what is truth has been ongoing since the search for an ‘honest man’ by Diogenes the Cynic, the dialogues of Socrates as recorded by Plato, the rhetorical question Pontius Pilate asked of the Christ, the Confessions of Augustine, the Summa of Aquinas, and the monastic scriptoria of Medieval Europe.

In the scriptoria of the Middle Ages, an elaborate system was constructed to ensure that no discrepancies were introduced into Scripture or highly-prized scholarly works — before the coming of movable type and the printing press. Can you imagine the decibel level of a discussion that played out over the misrepresentation of a single iota when dealing with the work of a Church Father, the Apostle Peter (or Paul), or the words of the Lord himself? This, of course, was complicated by the fact that there were few grammatical rules, little or no punctuation, no spaces between and among words, nor between sentences or paragraphs, and the like.

Even in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Harvard and Yale engaged in the same sort of tussle about the owner of Truth as the Right and Left are engaged in today.  Harvard chose the Latin word Veritas (Truth) on its official seal, while Yale considered the matter closed by adding Lux et Veritas.  (Light and Truth) to its own shield.  Three hundred years later, in an academic world perhaps overly concerned with political correctness, Harvard won top honors for the Top Politically (in)Correct Word of 2016.

Watching the nightly news and reading the traditional (for the last two centuries, that is) media, one has the distinct sense that what they perceive as unprecedented almost chaotic circumstances is actually that of the normalcy of the new reality, that of communications at the speed of light that the internet has foisted upon us.

We keep hearing about this most unusual of election cycles, but this is only true when looking through the prism (and historical construct) of the traditional news gathering operations. What is called the 24-hour News Cycle is actually just the tip of the tsunami washing over the planet at an ever-quicker pace. Indeed, the nature of the beast hasn’t changed at all. It is our outdated techniques, that haven’t kept up with the new reality: News now emanates at the speed of thought, from tens of thousands or, even, millions of sources.

Can you imagine the uproar in the monastic world when documents would be produced with little or no vetting against the time-honored standards?

In 2008 GLM published an article, “Is Merriam-Webster its own Best Frenemy,” where we noted that its newest additions to its Collegiate Dictionary, were older than most entering college students at the time (28 years vs 18!)  Indeed, for the most part, technology could solve most of the Post-truth and Fake News phenomena.

Since the turn of the 21st century, the Global Language Monitor (GLM) has named the Top Words of Global English. A decade earlier, the American Dialect Society began to name the Word of The Year for mostly American (and a bit of British) English with little or no use of the then-emerging computer power. By the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, the BBC chose the Global Language Monitor to determine the Top English Words of the Decade worldwide while they chose an UK-based Linguist to highlight those of the UK.

One of the most surprising trends in the evolution of the Words of the Year over the last two decades is that they have become decidedly more parochial, and more trivial, as the century has progressed. Now there are about a dozen players, all competing for the same space, so the race has been one of dumbing down the various nominees and ultimate winner in an apparently desperate attempt to seek the lowest common denominator, or even worse, to optimize entertainment value.

Perhaps most surprising of all is the apparent lack of preparation by the venerable incumbent organizations responsible for gathering, sifting through, and certifying information that then qualifies as verifiably newsworthy.

Apocalyptic language has been widely cited as word of the year worthy for the last several years — and rightly so. In fact, Apocalypse and Armageddon took Global Language Monitors’ honors as Top Global English Words of 2012. And though GLM’s proprietary algorithms have displayed a predictive element, it’s entirely possible that Apocalyptic language did indeed peak some five years too soon.

About the Global Language Monitor

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print, and electronic media, as well as the global fashion industry, among others.

For more information, call 1.512.801-6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.



GLM’s Top Words Record the History of the 21st Century, Thus Far

GLM’s Top Words of the Year Record the History of the 21st Century. Many of the shifts first noted by the trend and narrative-tracking techniques of GLM can be found here, also.

Top Words for the First 15 Years of the 21st Century & What They Portend

 

 Recently, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) announced that Truth is the Word of the Year for 2017.

Austin, Texas, March 3, 2017 (Update) — One hundred years ago, in the year 1915 to be precise, a number of historical trends had already been set in motion that would come to dominate the rest of the century, for better or for ill.   The Global Language Monitor, which tracks global trends through the Big Data-based analysis of Global English, has recently completed a three-year study to better ascertain what trends are we now tracking that will portend future events.

“The first fifteen years of the 20th c. set the trajectory for the remainder of the century — and beyond.”  said Paul JJ Payack, president and Chief Word Analyst, the Global Language Monitor.  “This included the seeds of World War, Bolshevism, Communism, German Nationalism, the carving up of the Middle East without regard to societal structures, total warfare, the introduction of weapons of mass destruction, flight, electrification of rural areas, the internal combustion engine, the dependence on hydrocarbon for fuel, Einstein’s first papers on relativity, the arms race, the explosive growth of cities, and so much more.

If the same can be said for the 21st century at the 15-year mark, what trends can we see that will be likely shape the rest of the 21st century, into the 22nd — and possibly beyond.”

The results for the First 15 Years of 21st Century & the Trends They Portend follow in the format of Rank, Word or Phrase, Comment, and Trend.They Portend

Top Words for the First 15 Years of 21st Century & the Trends They Portend
Rank Word or Phrase Comment 21st Century Trend
1 Web/Internet (2000) Some argue the most momentous change to human society since the Renaissance — also reflected in language usage Some argue the most momentous change to human society since the Renaissance. Web 2.0 was the tipping point where the Internet became embedded into everyday life.
2 China (2009) 2015 is the year that China surpasses the US as the Earth’s economic engine in terms of PPE.  If China holds the title for as long as the US, it will be the year 2139 before it turns over the reigns. The Rise of China will dominate 21st century geopolitical affairs like US in the 20th
3 Selfie (2013) Evidently an ego-manical madness gripped the world in 2013-14. The more people populate the planet, the greater the focus on the individual.
4 404 (2013) The near-universal numeric code for failure on the global Internet. 404 will not merely signify the loss of an individual connection but the shutdown of whole sectors of society
5 9/11 (2001) An inauspicious start to the 21st Century. The early 20th c. saw the seeds of Bolshevism, German Nationalism, and Fascism.  The seeds thus planted in the 21st c. are equally foreboding
6 OMG (2008) One of the first texting expressions (Oh my God!), another was BFF as in Best Friend Forever First sign that the Internet would change language. Basically the successor to Morse’s ‘What hath God Wrought?
7 Sustainable (’06) The key to ‘Green’ living where natural resources are wisely conserved and thus never depleted. Made small impact in 2006; its importance grows every year and will continue to do so as resources ARE depleted.
8 Hella (2008) An intensive in Youthspeak, generally substituting for the word ‘very’ as in ‘hella expensive’ The world is being subdivided into the various tribes of youth (Trans national to follow.)
9 N00b (2009) A beginner or ‘newbie’, with numbers (zeroes) replacing the letter Os, emphasizing a new trend in written English The Geeks will inherit the Earth
10 Futebol (2011) Ready or not, the World Cup of Futebol, Futbol, Football, and Soccer was on display in Brasil Sports become an evermore global business
Copyright ©2015 Global Language Monitor
11 Nanobots and Grey Goo (’07) Have we already witnessed the most horrifying forms of warfare? Not if you haven’t envisioned … … self-replicating nanobots spewing forth ever mounting piles of grey goo might tend to dampen prospects for living things
12 Climate Change (’00) Near the top of word usage list since day one of the century. Focusing on data from the last hundred years actually obscures the magnitude of climate change; paleohistory suggests sea level changes of 300 feet
13  Derivative (’07) Financial instrument or analytical tool that engendered the Meltdown Intertwined global financial institutions have the ability to bring down the entire global electronic system if they falter
14 Apocalypse, Armageddon & variations thereof (2012) The word Apocalypse has been in ascendance in English for some 500 years.  However, recent years has witnessed an unprecedented resurgence Wars and rumors of war appear to be the least of it
15 Occupy (2011) ‘Occupy’ has risen to pre-eminence through Occupy Movement, the occupation of Iraq, and the so-called ‘Occupied Territories’ The gulf between the haves and have nots, the North and the South, the 1% and all the rest has only worsened through a century of unprecedented economic, scientific and social progress
16 Tsunami (2004/5) Southeast Asian Tsunami took 250,000 lives The Southeast Asian Tsunami was a thirty-foot swell that resulted in a quarter of a million deaths. Might a 300-foot rise in sea-level engender a ‘slow Tsunami with deaths in the millions?
17 Inflation (Cosmic) (2014) OK, so that the Universe expanded a gazillion times faster than the speed of light is now a fact.  Way Cool. At the beginning of the 20th c., scientists thought our local galaxy was the entire universe; since then our view of the universe has expanded a billion billion times
18 Singularity (2015) Singularity was originally the name for Cosmic Genesis Event  (the Big Bang), Spoiler Alert:  Now used to describe when computer intelligence surpasses that of humans (Possibly before mid-century).
19 Global Warming  (2000) Rated highly from Day One of the decade The next few hundred (or few thousand) years are gong to be a longer haul than we can now imagine
20 Refugee (2005) After Katrina, refugees became evacuees After Syria, evacuees became migrants.
Copyright ©2015 Global Language Monitor
21 Emoticon (2013) Words without letters conveying emotional responses, such as smileys Emoticons. Smileys, Emoji’s  communication continues to evolve in unexpected ways
22 Emoji (2014) In 500 years people will look back on the creation of a new alphabet (the alphaBIT):  Letters + numbers + (emoticons) diacritical marks + emoji (picture words). The arrival of the new English Alphabet (the AlphaBIT) is apparently at hand
23 Pope Francis (2013) Also Top Name of the Year for 2013. A new type of Pontiff sets the stage for all those Popes who follow …
24 WMD (2002) Iraq’s (Non-existent) Weapons of Mass Destruction The nuclear device dropped Hiroshima weighed tons, the new backpack versions, mere pounds.
25 Telomeres (2015) Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes. When telomeres wear away, the chromosomes are destroyed, and death ensues.  The goal: protect telomeres, extend life
26 German Ascendance (2015) One of the architects of the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues her reign as the most powerful woman on the planet Germany’s tragic misadventures of the 20th c., belie its dominance of the Euro Zone in the 21st.
27 Anthropocene (2015) A proposed geologic epoch when humans began to impact natural processes An impact that will only grow for better or ill throughout the century.
28 God Particle (2011) The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) continues its quest for the Higgs boson, popularly known as the God Particle. Scientists have calculated a one in fifty million chance that the LHC will generate a small black hole that could devour the Earth.
29 Denier (2014) An ugly new addition to the trending words list as it has become an evermore present invective with sinister overtones (fully intended). Political discourse continues to sink to unprecedented levels
30 Carbon Footprint (2008) The amount of carbon released in a process or activity Burning a gallon of petrol produces enough CO² to melt 400 gallons of ice at the poles.
Copyright ©2015 Global Language Monitor
31  Slumdog (2008) Child inhabitants of Mumbai’s slums Slumdogs continue to multiply as MegaCities continue to seemingly endlessly expand
32 Truthiness (2006) Steven Colbert’s addition to the language appears to be a keeper; While something may not meet the standard of truth, it certainly appears to be true Truthiness seems to set the new standard, unfortunately
33 Change (2008) The top political buzzword of the 2008 US Presidential campaign Change will continue as a top word into the 22nd century — and beyond
34 Chinglish (2005) The Chinese-English Hybrid language growing larger as Chinese influence expands Chinese-English will inevitably cross-fertilize as the two great economic powers contend into the 22nd Century
35 Google (2007) Founders misspelled actual word ‘googol’ Is Google the prototype of the a new “Idea foundry’
36 Twitter (2009) The ability to encapsulate human thought in 140 characters The ability to encapsulate human thought in wisps of wind (or electron streams) will almost certainly follow
37 H1N1 (2009) More commonly known as Swine Flu Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Ebola, it will only get worse with the hand of man only abetting the enemy
38 Bubble (2007) One financial bubble after another as we move into the 21st century Let’s see: Communism, socialism, fascism, command economies, the silent hand of the market, China’s hybrid — evidently the business cycle will persist
39 The Great War (2014) The centennial of World War I begins four years of soulful commemorations — as the forces it unloosed continue to ripple into (and most probably through) the 21st c. As the Great War (and the ravages thereof} continue into the 21st c., what at the odds that its ramifications will continue throughout the 21st
40 Political Transparency (2007) A noble idea from the Campaign that was among the first casualties of the Obama Administration The explosion of knowledge portends less transparency not more …
Copyright ©2015 Global Language Monitor
To see the Top Words of 2014

The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 1.83 billion speakers (January 2013 estimate) GLM employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global Internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time.   NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the top 300,000 print and electronic global media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

About the Global Language Monitor

Early in the last century, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.  Silicon Valley is located in what is now the CaliMinor Federation.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print and electronic media, and the global fashion industry, among others.For more information, call 1.512.801.6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

‘Truth’ is Top Word, ‘Weinstein Effect’ the Top Phrase and ‘Xi Jinping’ the Top Name in Global English for 2017

Summary:  “Since the turn of the century, the Global Language Monitor has been naming the words of global English that have had the most profound influence upon the language, the culture, and/or the world of the 21st century,” said Paul JJ Payack, President, and Chief Word Analyst. “GLM ‘s methodology, true to its Silicon Valley heritage, is to examine the totality of Global English with the tools now available to better understand the underlying trends that shape our words and, hence, our world. Our goal remains to detect these small changes in the language that often presage titanic shifts in the way humans communicate.”

The Global Language Monitor’s 18th Annual Edition

For Immediate Release,

For More Information, call 001.512.801.6823 or email info@LanguageMonitor.com.

November 16, 2017,  Austin, Texas – Truth has been named the 2017 Word of the Year for Global English (#WOTY2017) by the Global Language Monitor, in its eighteenth annual global analysis. In addition, the Weinstein Effect has been named the Top Phrase and Chinese leader Xi Jingping the Top Name of 2017.  Following ‘Truth’ were the words Narrative, Opioids, Awoke, and Nuclear Option.  Rounding out the Top Ten were Deep State, Robot Apocalypse, Higher Level of Fake News, Blessee, and Lean Into. 

“Since the turn of the century, the Global Language Monitor has been naming the words of global English that have had the most profound influence upon the language, the culture, and/or the world of the 21st century,” said Paul JJ Payack, President, and Chief Word Analyst.

GLM ‘s methodology, true to its Silicon Valley heritage, is to examine the totality of Global English with the tools now available to better understand the underlying trends that shape our words and, hence, our world.

Our goal remains to detect these small changes in the language that often presage titanic shifts in the way humans communicate.”

In the recent past, some of the shifts first noted by the trend and narrative-tracking techniques of GLM include:

  1. The use of number sequences as clearly defined words (Y2k, Web 2.0)
  2. The use of Twitter as a new form of stylized human communication (2008)
  3. The introduction of emoji symbols as an addition to and transformation of the alphabet (2012)
  4. The rise of the Narrative presaging the rise of ‘fake news’ and the decline of ‘truth-based’ journalism. (2006)
  5. The mounting impact of the ‘sustainability’ and ‘Green’ movements (2006)
  6. The Rise of Microaggressions as a significant form of ‘bullying’ (2015)
  7. The continued emergence of English as the first truly global language (2000-)
  8. Big Data as the most frequently used but least understood word in High Technology (2011)
  9. The application of data mining techniques to global English to better understand the significance of global events and trends (2013)
  10. The Rise of China as the most significant (and de-stabilizing) event of the 21st century, thus far. (2008)
  11. Unveiling the racist underpinnings behind the rise of Fake News.

GLM has used these technologies to track political and social trends.

The eighteenth year of the 21st century provided words that accompanied the outsized geopolitical events of the age:  nuclear diplomacy, shattered trade alliances, the rise (and re-emergence) of nationalism in various parts of the planet, as well as varying degrees of ‘wokeness’ and intense debates over the role of the past in the present-day world.  Perhaps, most surprisingly, a debate over the nature of truth worthy of Athenian philosophers, of 12th-century Schoolmen — and the 18th c. Founders is currently quite the rage.

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Words of the Year for Global English

Rank, Word, Previous Rank, Definition 

  1.  Truth (1) — Let’s face it.  The conversation is all about truth, or lack thereof.
  2.  Narrative (2) — As GLM noted in ’08, Narratives began replacing facts in politics; a harbinger to ‘fake news’.
  3.  Opioids (10) — More deaths than gun violence and automobiles crashed combined.
  4.  Post-Truth (16) — Objective facts are less influential than appeals to emotion or the prevailing narrative.
  5. Woke (New) — Awakening to issues of social and racial justice.
  6. Brexit (4) — [United Kingdom] Definition according to Theresa May:  “Brexit means Brexit”.
  7. Blessee (New) — [RSA, South Africa] Those who are shown financial favor through a ‘Sugar Daddy’ (New)
  8. Non-binary (13) — Gender identity defined as neither male nor female.
  9. Anthropocene (15) — The current geological time period where human activities have had a major environmental impact on the Earth.
  10. Latinx (11) — Neologism for the Hispanic heritage of any stripe.
  11. Ransomware (New) — A type of malware where targeted sites are ‘captured’ and rendered useless until a ransom is paid to the hackers.
  12. Tradie (New) — [Australia] Short for any worker in the trades:  tradesmen, e.g., electricians (sparkies), truckers (truckies), chippies (carpenter) and the like.
  13. Flip (New) — Any quick financial transact5on meant to turn a quick profit, particularly involving real estate.
  14. Covfefe — The Trumpian Typo Heard ‘Round the world.
  15. #Resist — From Latin resistere, from re- + sistere to take a stand
  16. Appropriation (Cultural) — Now refers to the exploitation of an ‘ethnic’ culture by those of white European heritage.

Missed the Cut and former rank: Antifa (18), Alt-right (17), Bigly (5), and Populism (19)

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Phrases of the Year for Global English

Rank, Word, Previous Rank, Definition

  1.  Weinstein Effect (New) — (#MeToo) Emboldened women across the globe confront those who have been abused them in their past.
  2. Nuclear Option (7) — The use of nuclear weapons by either side in the on-going and decades-long North Korean standoff.
  3.  Deep State (New) — The idea that entrenched bureaucracies, beholden to no one, controlling the ship of state with little concern for elected officials.  In effect, a ‘Shadow’ government
  4. For Real (FR) (New) — [Indian] It took a half a century for the hip lingo of Venice Beach to proliferate to the call centers of India as FR.
  5. Robot Apocalypse (New) — The oncoming usurpation of Humankind by robots and other advanced forms of Artificial Intelligence.
  6. Fake News (New) — A higher level (and far more dangerous method controlling the news) through special relationships, the tight control of events, planting sources, and keeping the actual facts to a tight inner circle.
  7. Lean Into (New) — Being totally committed (or lean into) a cause, an initiative, or career choice.
  8. Non-binary (13) — Gender identity defined as neither male nor female.
  9. Memory Care (14) — Euphemism for treating Alzheimer and other forms of dementia
  10. Cultural Appropriation — Now refers to the exploitation of an ‘ethnic’ culture by those of white European heritage.

Missed the Cut and former rank: Alt-right (17), Dumpster Fire (9), Nuclear Option for US Senate (6), and Safe Place (20).

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Names of the Year

Rank, Name

  1. Xi Jinping — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
  2. Donald J. Trump — President of the United States of America; Trump took the Top Honors in 2016 and 2015.
  3. Pope Francis —  Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City.
  4. Angela Merkel —  Angela Dorothea Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
  5. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin —  President of Russia
  6. Theresa May — P)rime Minister of the United Kingdom
  7. Kim Jung Un —   North Korean Strongman
  8. Narendra Modi — Prime Minister of India
  9. Donald Tusk — President of the European Commission
  10. Shinzō Abe — Prime Minister of Japan
  11. Justin Trudeau — Prime Minister of Canada

The Top Words, Phrases, and Names since the Turn of the Century

2016:
Top Words: No. 1 Truth, No. 2 Narrative, No. 3, #Resist
Top Phrases: No. 1 Make America Great Again No. 2 When they go low, we go high No. 3 The Electoral College
Top Names: No. 1 Donald Trump, No. 2 Vladimir Putin, No. 3 Neil Gorsuch

2015:
Top Words: No. 1 Microaggression (Safe Space, Trigger, Unsafe, Snowflake, White Privilege)
Top Phrases: No. 1 Migrant Crisis, No. 2 Je Suis Charlie, No. 3 Almond Shaming
Top Names: No. 1 Donald J. Trump, No. 2 Alan Kurdi, No. 3 Pope Francis

2014:
Top Words: No. 1 The Heart ♥ Emoji (for love), No. 2 Hashtag, No. 3 Vape
Top Phrases: No. 1 Hands Up, Don’t Shoot; No. 2 Cosmic Inflation, No. 3 Global Warming
Top Names: No. 1 Ebola, No. 2 Pope Francis, No. 3 World War

2013:
Top Words: No. 1 ’404’, No.2 Fail, No.3 Hashtag
Top Phrases: No. 1 Toxic Politics, No. 2 Federal Shutdown, No.3 Global Warming/Climate Change
Top Names: No. 1. Pope Francis, No. 2 ObamaCare, No.3 NSA

2012:
Top Words: No. 1 Apocalypse / Armageddon, No.2 Deficit, No. 3 Olympiad
Top Phrases: No. 1 Gangnam Style, No. 2 Climate Change/Global Warming, No. 3 Fiscal Cliff
Top Names: No. 1 Newtown and Malala Yousafzai, No. 3 Xi Jinping

2011:
Top Words: No. 1 Occupy, No.2 Fracking, No.3 Drone
Top Phrases: No. 1 Arab Spring, No. 2 Royal Wedding, No.3 Anger and Rage
Top Names: No. 1 Steve Jobs, No. 2 Osama bin-laden and Seal Team Six, No.3 Fukushima

2010:
Top Words: No. 1 Spillcam, No. 2 Vuvuzela, No. 3 The Narrative
Top Phrases: No. 1 Anger and Rage, No. 2 Climate Change, No. 3 The Great Recession
Top Names: No. 1 Hu Jintao, paramount leader of China, No. 2 iPad, No. 3 Barack Obama

2009:
Top Words: No. 1 Twitter, No. 2 Obama-, No. 3 H1N1
Top Phrases: No. 1 King of Pop, No. 2 Obama-mania, No. 3 Climate Change
Top Names: No. 1 Obama, No. 2 Michael Jackson, No. 3 Mobama

2008:
Top Words: No. 1 Change, No. 2 Bailout, No. 3 Obama-mania
Top Phrases: No. 1 Financial Tsunami, No. 2 Global Warming, No. 3 “Yes, We Can!”
Top Names: No. 1 Barack Obama, No. 2 George W. Bush, No.3 Michael Phelps

2007:
Top Words: No. 1 Hybrid (representing all things green), No. 2: Surge
Top Phrase: Climate Change
Top Name: Al Gore

2006:
Top Word: Sustainable
Top Phrase: Stay the Course
Top Name: Dafur

2005:
Top Words: No. 1, Refugee No. 2: Tsunami No. 3: Katrina
Top Phrase: Outside the Mainstream
Top Name: (acts of ) God

2004:
Top Word: Incivility (for inCivil War)
Top Phrase: Red States/Blue States No. 2: Rush to War
Top Name: Dubya/Rove

2003:
Top Word: Embedded
Top Phrase: Shock and Awe, No. 2: Rush to War
Top Name: Saddam Hussein, No. 2 Dubya

2002:
Top Word: Misunderestimate
Top Phrase: Threat Fatigue
Top Name: W (Dubya)

2001:
Top Word: Ground Zero
Top Phrase: ‘Lets Roll’
Top Name: The Heros

2000:
Top Word: Chad
Top Phrase: Dot.com
Top Name: W (Dubya)

Methodology:  The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 2.35 billion speakers (January 2018 estimate) GLM employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global Internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the top 300,000 print and electronic global media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

For More Information, go to LanguageMonitor.com or call 001.512.801.6823.

About

 

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities.  Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, Olympic Partners, leading Higher Education institutions, high-tech firms, the worldwide print and electronic media, the global fashion industry, among others.

Paul JJ Payack lecturing on Big and Ephemeral Data in Shanghai

Payack was cited as the first Shanghai International Creative City Think Tank Master.

GLM foresees a time in the near future where data doubles every hour, every minute, then every second.

To address this unfolding reality, GLM created the tools you need to address an enterprise in a world never at rest, where the facts can change before you locked your strategy into place, in the world where the social media of today is but a hint of what will emerge in the coming months and years.

GLM’s specialized products and services have been built from the ground up for Big and bigger date,  for a marketplace ever in flux, where the only constant changes.

Belfer Center Logo

Ephemera

In 2003, GLM’s founder, Paul JJ Payack, first conceived of a new class of data that he called Ephemera, or Ephemeral Data.

 Global Language Monitor’s proprietary algorithms (including the PQI and Narrative Tracker) are used to plum ephemeral data on any topic for any industry worldwide, quickly and accurately.  Many organizations have used GLM as an additional input to their already robust analytical solutions.  Call 1.512.801.6823 or email info@LanguageMonitor.com

Subprime Meltdown (New York Times)

In 2006, The New York Times worked with the Global Language Monitor to assess the state of the New York City real estate market.  GLM’s used its proprietary POI technology, which The Times described as “an algorithm that tracks words and phrases in the media and on the Internet in relation to frequency, context, and appearance in the global media.”  The study has been hailed as presaging the coming Financial Meltdown, now known as the Great Recession.

The New York Times featuring GLM’s PQI
.

GLM’s Founder on BBC America

GLM as a Source of Record

GLM continues to be cited hundreds of by the leading print and electronic media the world over. In fact, the worldwide print and electronic media have come to rely on The Global Language Monitor for its expert analysis on cultural trends and their subsequent impact on various aspects of culture.

Worldwide print and electronic media have come to rely on GLM for it Trend Tracking and analytics-based analyses.

BBC Cites GLM for Words of the Decade

At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the BBC used two global experts to choose the words that would sum up the decades,  represented English as spoken in the UK, the other English as spoken in America, Australia and the rest of the world.

The Global Language Monitor’s president was chosen for Global English as shown below.

A representative sampling includes:  CNNMSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Associated Press, United Press International, Knight-Ridder, USAToday, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Charlotte Observer, Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Jose Mercury, New York Post, NPR, FoxNews, ABCNBCCBS, ChinaNews, Peoples Daily, The National Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, The BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Company, The Canadian Broadcasting Company, The Cape Town Argus, El Pais (Madrid), The Daily Mail (Scotland), The Hindustan Times, The Gulf News (Qatar), and various electronic and print media on six continents.

About Paul JJ Payack

Paul JJ Payack has served as a senior executive of three Fortune 500 high technology companies (Unisys, Dun & Bradstreet, and StorageTek), and three Silicon Valley technology companies (Apollo Computer, Intelliguard Software, Legato Systems) that were acquired by four other Silicon Valley giants (EMC, Dell, Oracle, and HP), as well as numerous start-ups and re-starts.  (For Payack’s Linkedin bio, go here.)

Currently, GLM’s President and Chief Word Analyst, he also was the founding president of yourDictionary.com. These two language sites attract millions of page views a month. He founded GLM in Silicon Valley in 2003 and moved it to Austin, Texas in 2008.

Payack taught scientific and technological communications at the University of Massachusetts, the University of Texas-Arlington and Babson College, the Federal Reserve Bank (NY), GM/Hughes Aircraft, and many others.

He is a frequent guest on the media circuit including CNN, the BBCNPR, the CBS, Australia Broadcasting Company and Chinese Radio and Television.

Payack is the author of some eighteen collections (seven currently in print), including  A Million Words and Counting, Kensington (New York) as well as co-author with Edward ML Peters of  The Paid-for Option (Tower Oaks Press), an analysis of the healthcare crisis in the USA.  (For a sampling of Payack’s creative work, including metafiction, flash fiction, and collage art, go here.)

Payack studied philosophy and psychology at Bucknell University and was graduated from Harvard University where he studied comparative literature and classical languages, also publishing his first collection of metafiction, A Ripple in Entropy.  Later he earned a CAGS with a focus on fine arts;  his thesis being a Play in Seven Episodes.  Worlds to Shatter, Shattered Worlds.

He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Millie, and family. Contact Payack directly:  001 512 801 6823 or pauljjpayack@gmail.com or @languagemonitor.

No. of Words in the English Language

1,041,257.5

Number of Words in the English Language, January 1, 2017, estimate

Shakespeare Created 1700 Words in His Lifetime
The English Language passed the Million Word threshold on June 10, 2009, at 10:22 a.m. (GMT).
Currently, there is a new word created every 98 minutes or about 14.7 words per day.

Next Global English Milestone:  1,050,000 Words

The Number of Words in the English Language

.

For Frequently Asked Questions about the Million Word March and GLM, go here.

Click here to Follow GLM On Twitter

‘Millionth English word’ declared

US web monitoring firm has declared the millionth English word to be Web 2.0, a term for the latest generation of web products and services.

Matt Frei reports on English’s unique linguistic evolution and then spoke to Global Language Monitor’s Paul Payack who helped find this millionth English word.

SEE ALSO

BBC NEWS | Programmes | World News America | ‘Millionth English word’ declared

“As expected, English crossed the 1,000,000 word threshold on June 10, 2009 at 10:22 am GMT. However, some 400 years after the death of the Bard, the words and phrases were coined far from Stratford-Upon-Avon, emerging instead from Silicon Valley, India, China, and Poland, as well as Australia, Canada, the US and the UK,” said Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of the Global Language Monitor. “English has become a universal means of communication; never before have so many people been able to communicate so easily with so many others.”

“The English language is now being studies by hundreds of millions around the globe for entertainment, commercial or scientific purposes. In 1960 there were some 250 million English speakers, mostly in former colonies and the Commonwealth countries. The future of English as a major language was very much in doubt. Today, some 1.53 billion people now speak English as a primary, auxiliary, or business language, with some 250 million acquiring the language in China alone.”

There are 10,000 other stories hailing the arrival of the 1,000,000th word from Abu Dhabi, and Tehran, to Beijing, to Sydney, to Chicago and Sri Lanka.

Quote of the Week:

“What’s interesting about a million is that it’s such a tiny number compared to all the words we could have,” said Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading who studies the comings and goings of words across history. (Using any combination of seven consonants with two vowels, for example, creates more than 100-million potential words.) But even with a relatively small pile to call on, words are mostly fleeting. (The Oxford English Dictionary has a list of words that have appeared on record only once in hundreds of years.) A small number of essential words such as “two” or “you” – or their variations – are ancients in the language family, Dr. Pagel said.  “Had you been wandering around the plains of Eurasia 15,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, you probably could have said ‘thou’ and someone would have know you were referring to them. We think that’s pretty astonishing.”  Toronto Globe and Mail, June, 2008

Why Twitter was not in running for the 1,000,000th word

Austin, Texas June 13, 2009 – Since the 1,000,000th word in the English announcement earlier this week, a number of news organizations have inquired as to why Twitter, the prominent microblog, was not on the final list of words considered for No. 1,000,000. According to Paul JJ Payack, president and Chief Word Analyst of the Global Language Monitor,  ”The answer is quite straight-forward: Twitter is already a word, as is its companion, to tweet. Certainly, the 21st century definition of twittering is much different than that of the Middle English twiteren, which is similar to the Old High German zwizzirōn, both of which mean, well, to twitter or as Merriam-Webster’s defines it “to utter successive chirping noises” or “to talk in a chattering fashion”. Since it is already catalogued as a headword, 21st c. twittering is simply a new entry, a new definition, under the ancient headword, twitter”.

IT Pro Portal Compares 12-month use of twitter vs Web 2.0

On June 10, the Global Language Monitor announced that Web 2.0 has bested Jai Ho, N00b and Slumdog as the 1,000,000th English word or phrase added to the codex of fourteen hundred-year-old language.

Web 2.0 beats Jai Ho & N00b as 1,000,000th English Word

English passed the Million Word mark earlier today, June 10 at 10:22 am GMT

Word Number 1,000,001: Financial Tsunami
Austin, Texas June 10, 2009 – The Global Language Monitor today announced that Web 2.0 has bested Jai Ho, N00b and Slumdog as the 1,000,000th English word or phrase. added to the codex of fourteen hundred-year-old language. Web 2.0 is a technical term meaning the next generation of World Wide Web products and services. It has crossed from technical jargon into far wider circulation in the last six months. Two terms from India, Jai Ho! and slumdog finished No. 2 and 4. Jai Ho! Is a Hindi exclamation signifying victory or accomplishment; Slumdog is an impolite term for children living in the slums. Just missing the top spot was n00b, a mixture of letters and numbers that is a derisive term for newcomer. It is also the only mainstream English word that contains within itself two numerals. Just missing the final five cut-off,  was another technical term, cloud computing, meaning services that are delivered via the cloud. At its current rate, English generates about 14.7 words a day or one every 98 minutes.

These are the fifteen finalists for the one millionth English word, all of which have met the criteria of a minimum of 25,000 citations with the necessary breadth of geographic distribution, and depth of citations.

1,000,000: Web 2.0 – The next generation of web products and services, coming soon to a browser near you.
999,999: Jai Ho! – The Hindi phrase signifying the joy of victory, used as an exclamation, sometimes rendered as “It is accomplished”. Achieved English-language popularity through the multiple Academy Award Winning film, “Slumdog Millionaire”.
999,998: N00b — From the Gamer Community, a neophyte in playing a particular game; used as a disparaging term.
999,997: Slumdog – a formerly disparaging, now often endearing, comment upon those residing in the slums of India.
999,996: Cloud Computing – The ‘cloud’ has been technical jargon for the Internet for many years. It is now passing into more general usage.
999,995: Carbon Neutral — One of the many phrases relating to the effort to stem Climate Change.
999,994: Slow Food — Food other than the fast-food variety hopefully produced locally (locavores).
999,993: Octomom – The media phenomenon relating to the travails of the mother of the octuplets.
999,992: Greenwashing – Re-branding an old, often inferior, product as environmentally friendly.
999,991: Sexting – Sending email (or text messages) with sexual content.
999,990: Shovel Ready – Projects are ready to begin immediately upon the release of federal stimulus funds.
999,989: Defriend – Social networking terminology for cutting the connection with a formal friend.
999,988: Chengguan – Urban management officers, a cross between mayors, sheriff, and city managers.
999,987: Recessionista – Fashion conscious who use the global economic restructuring to their financial benefit.
999,986: Zombie Banks – Banks that would be dead if not for government intervention and cash infusion.
 —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  —  — -
In addition, the 1,000,001st word is Financial Tsunami – The global financial restructuring that seemingly swept out of nowhere, wiping out trillions of dollars of assets, in a matter of months.

Each word was analyzed to determine which depth (number of citations) and breadth (geographic extent of word usage), as well as number of appearances in the global print and electronic media, the Internet, the blogosphere, and social media (such as Twitter and YouTube). The Word with the highest PQI score was deemed the 1,000,000th English language word. The Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI) is used to track and analyze word usage.
Global Language Monitor has been tracking English word creation since 2003. Once it identifies new words (or neologisms) it measures their extent and depth of usage with its PQI technology.

English Language Millionth Word Finalists Announced, including:  alcopops, bangster, de-friend, n00b, quendy-trendy, slumdog, and wonderstar

English to Pass Millionth Word June 10 at 10:22 am GMT

Million Word March Now Stands at 999,824

Austin, Texas May 29, 2009 – The Global Language Monitor today announced the finalists for the Million Word March. The English Language will cross the 1,000,000 word threshold on June 10, 2009 at 10:22 am Stratford-Upon-Avon time.

“The Million Word milestone brings to notice the coming of age of English as the first, truly global Language”, said Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of the Global Language Monitor. “There are three major trends involving the English language today: 1) An explosion in word creation; English words are being added to the language at the rate of some 14.7 words a day; 2) a geographic explosion where some 1.53 billion people now speak English around the globe as a primary, auxiliary, or business language; and 3) English has become, in fact, the first truly global language.”

Due to the global extent of the English language, the Millionth Word is as likely to appear from India, China, or East L.A.as it is to emerge from Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s home town). The final words and phrases under consideration are listed below. These words represent each of the categories of Global English that GLM tracks, Since English appears to be adding a new word every 98 minutes or about 14.7 words a day, the Global Language Monitor is selecting a representative sampling. You can follow the English Language WordClock counting down to the one millionth word at www.LanguageMonitor.com.

These words that are on the brink of entering the language as the finalists for the One Millionth English Word:

Australia: Alchopops – Sugary-flavored mixed drinks very much en vogue.

Chinglish: Chengguan – Urban management officers, a cross between mayors, sheriff, and city managers.

Economics: 1) Financial Tsunami – The global financial restructuring that seemingly swept out of nowhere, wiping out trillions of dollars of assets, in a matter of months. 2) Zombie Banks – Banks that would be dead if not for government intervention and cash infusion.

Entertainment: Jai Ho! — From the Hindi, “it is accomplished’ achieved English-language popularity through the multiple Academy Award Winner, “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Fashion: 1) Chiconomics – The ability to maintain one’s fashion sense (chicness) amidst the current financial crisis. 2) Recessionista – Fashion conscious who use the Global economic restructuring to their financial benefit; 3) Mobama – relating to the fashion-sense of the US First Lady, as in ‘that is quite mobamaish’.

Popular Culture: Octomom (the media phenomenon of the mother of the octuplets).

Green Living: 1) Green washing – Re-branding an old product as environmentally friendly. 2) E-vampire – Appliances and machines on standby-mode, which continually use electrical energy they ‘sleep’. 3) Slow food: — Food other than the fast-food variety hopefully produced locally (locavores).

Hinglish: Chuddies – Ladies’ underwear or panties.

Internet: 1) De-follow – No longer following the updates of someone on a social networking site. 2) De-friend – No longer following the updates of a friend on a social networking site; much harsher than de-following. 3) Web 2.0 – The next generation of web services.

Language: Toki Pona – The only language (constructed or natural) with a trademark.

Million Word March: MillionWordWord — Default entry if no other word qualifies.

Music: Wonderstar – as in Susan Boyle, an overnight sensation, exceeding all reasonable expectations.

Poland: Bangsters – A description of those responsible for ‘predatory’ lending practices, from a combination of the words banker and gangster.

Politically incorrect: 1) Slumdog – a formerly disparaging comments upon those residing in the slums of India; Seatmates of size – US airline euphemism for passengers who carry enough weight to require two seats.

Politics: 1) Carbon neutral — One of the many phrases relating to the effort to stem Climate Change. 2) Overseas Contingency Operations – The Obama re-branding of the Bush War on Terror.

Sports: Phelpsian – The singular accomplishments of Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics.

Spirituality: Renewalist – Movements that encompass renewal of the spirit; also call ‘Spirit-filled’ movements.

Technology: 1) Cloud Computing – The ‘cloud’ has been technical jargon for the Internet for many years. It is now passing into more general usage. 2) N00b — From the Gamer Community; a neophyte in playing a particular game; used as a disparaging term. 3) Sexting – Sending email (or text messages) with sexual content.

YouthSpeak: Quendy-Trendy — British youth speak for hip or up-to-date.

Extra Credit:

French word with least chance of entering English Language: le courriel for E-Mail.

Most recognized English-language word on the planet: O.K.

Each word is being analyzed to determine which is attaining the greatest depth (number of citations) and breadth (geographic extent of word usage), as well as number appearances in the global print and electronic media, the Internet, the blogosphere, and social media (such as Twitter and YouTube). The Word with the highest PQI score will be deemed the 1,000,000th English language word. The Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI) is used to track and analyze word usage.

Global Language Monitor has been tracking English word creation since 2003. Once it identifies new words (or neologisms) it measures their extent and depth of usage with its PQI technology.

In Shakespeare’s day, there were only 2,000,000 speakers of English and fewer than 100,000 words. Shakespeare himself coined about 1,700 words. Thomas Jefferson invented about 200 words, and George W. Bush created a handful, the most prominent of which is, misunderestimate. US President Barack Obama’s surname passed into wordhood last year with the rise of obamamania.

 

The Economist Predictions for 2009 Preview:

English Marks a Million

Listen to the segment on Morning Edition

Save the Date:  English nears a milestone(Christian Science Monitor)

News Forcaster: When will English pass 1 million words?

Current forecast: after 3/30/08 and before 4/30/08 (45% chance)

A Contrary View of the Million Word March

ENGLISH AND ITS ODDITIES ; The word factory keeps producing

The Million Word March in Smithsonian Magazine

 

THE WORLD IN WORDS:  Top Words of 2008

Essay:  The Number of Words in the English Language

There are many things in the Universe that can never be precisely measured but that doesn’t stop Humankind from attempting to take their measure.

For example, there are on the order of:

  • 7,000 human languages and dialects (6,912 to be precise);
  • About 50,000 ideograms in the various Chinese dialects (though countless more words);
  • About 100,000,000,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy (and some 100,000,000,000 galaxies in the universe);
  • Over 35,500,000 residents of California;
  • And then there are 10 raised to the power of 72 atomic particles in the universe; that is, precisely:

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atomic particles;

  • There are fewer than 100,000 words in the French language;
  • There are some 6.5 billion folks on the planet; (and about 20 billion that have ever walked upon the Earth);
  • Fewer than 20,000 different words in the Bible, (actually, 12,143 in the English, 783,137 total in the King James Version, 8,674 in the Hebrew Old Testament, and 5,624 in the Greek New Testament);
  • And 24,000 differing words to be found in the complete works of Shakespeare, about 1,700 of which he invented.

Finally, if you emptied all the water out of Lake Tahoe and spread it evenly over all of California it would be about 14 inches deep,  Not that anyone would ever attempt to do so. Or actually, care.

Which brings us to the number of words in English.

The central idea of writing is, of course, the idea. Ideas by their very nature are wispy sorts of things. This being so, you can’t grab an idea and do with it what you will. Rather the best for which one can hope is to encapsulate the idea and preserve it for time immemorial in some sort of ethereal amber. We call this amber, language; the basic building block of which is, of course, the word. (We are speaking now as poets and not as linguists.)

As such, writers of English have the good fortune of having hundreds of thousands of words from which to choose. When you think of it, the English language writer always has at least three words for any idea, each rooted in the Latin, the Germanic or Saxon tongues, and the Greek. Think of a word for human habitation: city, town, metropolis, and so on. And that’s just the start. In the English-speaking world, we also owe a heavy debt to Algonquin, and Hebrew, and Malay (ketchup anyone?) and Maori, and Zulu and Hmong among a multitude of others. I think you can spot the beginnings of a trend here.

And then there is the entire realm of ”jargon,” scientific and otherwise, those specialized patois or vocabularies known only to those in specific fields. Computer-related jargon is multiplying at an extraordinary rate. And since English has become the lingua Franca of the Internet, English words are being created and non-English words co-opted at an ever-quickening pace.

Scientists estimate that there are approximately 10,000,000,000 neurons in a typical human brain.  Each of these neurons can theorectically interconnect with all the rest.

This being so, the number of interconnects within a single human brain is greater than the entire number of atomic particles in the universe.

If you equate these interconnects to ideas, or even thoughts, the number of potential words needed to express them is, indeed, staggering on the order of billions and billions of trillions.

This being said, I now unequivocally state that as of the 10th day of June in the year 2009 AD (or CE, whatever your preference), we estimate that there were some 1,000,000  words in the English language, plus or minus a handful.

Choose well among them.

PJJP

Danville. California, USA

 

Special Report, April 23, 2009

Neologisms

It’s difficult to track the number of words in the English language, since neologisms — new words — are coined every day. The Global Language Monitor claims our lexicon will welcome its millionth word by the end of this month; other experts disagree.Whenever it does occur, will the millionth word be something from the business world, like “carpocalypse,” describing the state of the automotive industry? Or from Hollywood, like “momager,” the mother of a celebrity who also serves as business manager? In these stories, we look at our changing language and highlight some of the new words that have entered it.

Read on and you won’t be an ugsome noob.

Number of Words in the English Language

1,041,257.5

Number of Words in the English Language, January 1, 2017, estimate

Shakespeare Created 1700 Words in His Lifetime
The English Language passed the Million Word threshold on June 10, 2009, at 10:22 a.m. (GMT).
Currently, there is a new word created every 98 minutes or about 14.7 words per day.

Next Global English Milestone

http://hereinnigeria.com/2017/06/22/successful-become-fashion-designer/

The Future of Global English (400 Years in the Future)

MicroEssay by Paul JJ Payack

The conquest of Global English is nearly complete. It is impossible to hold back this tide. The Tsunami of English has already swept over the earth. The question now is how to adjust to this new reality.

I have several suggestions. The first would be to master the language. Yes, acknowledge the sea-change, disassociate yourself from any political misgivings — and get on with it. Global English is here and now — and here to stay. Global English will reside, preside and thrive. At least in some form. Here are some possible threads of evolution (or devolution) of the language over the next 400 years. I chose this perspective because that is the same temporal distance we are from the days of Shakespeare and the King James Bible.

Keeping in mind that the best way to predict the future is to read the past, here are a number of differing scenarios, one of which will be the future of Global English

1. Cyber English: The robots take control of the language. This form of English would be ‘clipped’ and very precise (no ‘fuzzy’ logic here). Come to think of it, this would be a great leap backward to the time of the King’s English, as spoken in, say, Colonial India.

2. The Romanticization of English: The Language devolves into various local dialects that in time become robust languages in themselves. The precedent for this, of course, is Latin splintering into the Romance Languages (Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish). As Latin is still the Official Language of the Vatican City state, English will remain spoken in certain enclaves in North Carollina, western Virginia, and in the Desert Southwest.

3. Return to Proto-Indo-European. Not as outlandish as it might seem, as the Green movement decries the technological basis of much of Global English, and in a Back-to-Basics promotes the original P-I-E as a ‘green language’.

4. English captured by the Chinese: the Middle Kingdom strikes back and begins to stake a claim in English Language ownership, much as America has done so during the last century. The Chinese prove to be excellent caretakers of the language and develop many interesting ways to extend it throughout the Earth and beyond.

5. Revenge of the Nerds: Leetspeak Strikes Back. The Nerds control the language. All words have dozens of spellings and meanings. Letters, numbers and symbols intermix. Exposition is heavily encrypted. The precedent: The English language before the Noah Webster and the OED. Shakespeare’s many variations on his name is mere child’s play to the near-infinite variety of spelling your children’s children will be able to use for their names.

6. The Number of Words in the English Language
Academics will no longer fret at counting the number of words because the conquest of English will no longer be tainted by political, cultural, and social concerns. Once freed from these concerns, Everyone will be free to count words in the same manner that their scientific colleagues count the number of galaxies, stars and atomic nuclei.

We will then be able to count ALL the words: every name of every fungus, all the technical jargon, YouthSpeak, all the –Lishes, everything.

Dictionaries will not longer be the arbiters what’s a word? Questions of standing the test of time will be rendered inoperable. Words will bubble forth as a frothy sea-foam of insight and meaning. If a word is used by millions or even thousands of influential elites, regardless of class or any form of identity (gender, ethnic, class, national, or social) it will be deemed a word and recorded for posterity.

7. There will be no words only thoughts. This is a rather difficult scenario to explore, since words all but disappear. Dictionaries will be replaced by something much more ethereal, sort of like a directory of dreams, ideas and ideals.

The language will swell to tens of millions of ‘words’ and the fact of its crossing the 1,000,000, word barrier will be looked upon something quite quaint that happened in the ‘classic days’ of ‘Global English language (long before it assumed its then-current exalted position. In all probability, the words in this essay may seem closer to the works of Shakespeare and those of the King James Bible than those of the, say, twenty-fifth Century.

<! — Start of StatCounter Code for Default Guide — >
<script type=”text/javascript”>
var sc_project=1434069;
var sc_invisible=0;
var sc_security=”3c42bc4e”;
var sc_https=1;
var scJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ?
“https://secure.” : “http://www.”);
document.write(“<sc”+”ript type=’text/javascript’ src=’” + scJsHost+
“statcounter.com/counter/counter.js’></”+”script>”);
</script>
<noscript><div class=”statcounter”><a title=”click tracking”
href=”http://statcounter.com/” target=”_blank”><img class=”statcounter”
src=”http://c.statcounter.com/1434069/0/3c42bc4e/0/” alt=”click
tracking”></a></div></noscript>
<! — End of StatCounter Code for Default Guide — >

 

Click to Buy

Click to Buy Now!

The 2017 Top Global Fashion Capital Backgrounder — Ranking Top 63 Global Fashion Capitals

Now Ranking the Top 63 Global Fashion Capitals 

AUSTIN, Texas, September 2017 —  In another close battle between New York and Paris, New York took four of the five categories to take the Top Global Fashion Capitals crown for 2017.  Since 2011, the Top spot has been traded between New York, Paris, and London, each taking the Top Spot twice. Completing the Top Ten for 2017following New York and Paris were Barcelona, Milano, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Las Vegas, and Dubai.

“Since we are expanding to include a number of cities, each with emerging and burgeoning fashion scenes, we are quite excited about the 2017 Global Fashion Capital rankings,”  said Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of the Global Language Monitor.   “Fashion continues to drive both economic growth for the region as well as a release of creativity that will most certainly impact their city, their region, and perhaps even the world”. #NYFW

The current 2017 rankings now include 63 fashion capitals.  There are three new fashion capitals from West Africa:  Accra, Ghana; Dakar, Senegal; and Lagos, Nigeria.

There is one new fashion capital from East Asia: Kuala Lumpur.  There is one new fashion capital from the Middle East:  Beirut, Lebanon.  Before the various insurgencies in the region,  Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East.   There are two new fashion capitals from North America:  Portland, Oregon known for its ‘weird’ culture, much like Austin, Texas and Columbus, Ohio known in the fashion world as the manufacturing headquarters of Henri Bendel, Victoria’s Secret, the Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F), and others.

Comments

No. 3 Barcelona — Moving into Big Four Territory is Big News by definition.

No. 4 Milano — Reclaiming its Big Four status; hmm, perhaps all that re-thinking and revamping just might be having an impact (we’ll see in 2018).

No. 6 London — Had a great run earlier in the decade, but not so great lately (If you consider the No. 6 spot not so great).

No. 7 Amsterdam — Moving up 15 spots is quite a move.

No. 9 Vegas — Back in the Top Ten, more evidence that the Red Carpet experience does indeed have an impact.

No. 10 Dubai — More evidence that billions of dollars Do, indeed, have an impact.

No. 17 Seoul — Finally making the move in Asia, not No. 1, but a respectable No. 3 regionally.

No. 21 Washington, DC — A move into respectability!?

No. 28 Melbourne and No. 34 Sydney — Trading Places

No. 44 Portland, OR — A very nice debut.

No. 47 Kuala Lumpur — Another solid debut.

No. 46 Boston, No. 48 Miami, No.53 Chicago, No. 54 Houston, and No. 59 Toronto — All down by twenty spots, or more.

No. 63  Cracas — On Hiatus due to Insurrection.

The complete Rankings follow:

Top 63 Global Fashion Capitals 2017    Top 63 Global Fashion Capitals 2017 
2017 Fashion Capital Last   2017 Fashion Capital Last
1 New York 2   32 Copenhagen 36
2 Paris 1   33 San Francisco 37
3 Barcelona 7   34 Sydney, Australia 13
4 Milano 6   35 Sao Paulo 16
5 Rome 5   36 Antwerpen 25
6 London 3   37 Johannesburg 48
7 Amsterdam 23   38 Dallas, Texas 20
8 Berlin 8   39 Austin, Texas 45
9 Las Vegas 26   40 Abu Dhabi 55
10 Dubai 17   41 St. Petersburg 35
11 Singapore 14   42 Cape Town 41
12 Hong Kong 12   43 Mexico City 53
13 Florence 11   44 Portland, Oregon Debut
14 Los Angeles 4   45 Frankfurt am Main 51
15 Madrid 9   46 Boston 24
16 Bali 40   47 Kuala Lumpur Debut
17 Seoul 56   48 Miami, Florida 19
18 Prague 33   49 Monaco 21
19 Rio de Janeiro 18   50 Atlanta, Georgia 32
20 Buenos Aires 29   51 New Delhi 39
21 Washington, DC 54   52 Vancouver, B.C, 52
22 Moscow 22   53 Chicago, Illinois 27
23 Tokyo 10   54 Houston, Texas 30
24 Santiago 43   55 Montreal, Quebec 47
25 Vienna 34   56 Dakar, Senegal Debut
26 Shanghai 15   57 Beirut, Lebanon Debut
27 Mumbai 38   58 Krakow 44
28 Melbourne 49   59 Toronto, Ontario 28
29 Stockholm 46   60 Lagos, Nigeria Debut
30 Bangkok 50   61 Columbus, Ohio Debut
31 Warsaw 42   62 Accra, Ghana Debut
32 Copenhagen 36   63 Caracas Hiatus
Copyright ©2017 Global Language Monitor   Copyright ©2017 Global Language Monitor

The Watch List for 2018  includes: Abidjan, Auckland, Jakarta, and other nominated by industry experts.

Top Fashion Capitals by Region

Europe:  Paris, Barcelona, Milano, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Florence, Madrid, Stockholm, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Monaco.

India::  Mumbai and New Delhi (Mumbai (+24)

Australia:  Melbourne and Sydney (+6)

East Asia:   Singapore, Hong Kong. Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Bangkok

RSA: Johannesburg, Cape Town (+5)

Middle Europe:  Prague, Moscow,  Vienna, Warsaw,  St Petersburg, and Krakow

Canada:  Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver,

Mideast::  Dubai, Abu Dhabi

Spain:  Barcelona and Madrid (+12)

Latin America:  Rio de Janerio, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo,  and Mexico City.  Caracas is on ‘Hiatus’.

Regional US:   New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Portland, OR, Boston, Miami,  and  Houston

Methodology: For this analysis, the Global Language Monitor used its proprietary Brand Affiliation Index (BAI), the same technology used to measure global brand equity for the Olympics, World Cup, the Fortune 500, and others. This exclusive, GLM longitudinal-study encompasses the prior three years to better assess short-term velocity and longer-term momentum. The study is a Big Data textual analysis based on billions of web pages, millions of blogs, the top 375,000 global print, and electronic media, and new social media formats as they appear. This survey, which was first made public in 2007.

Background:  The Top Global Fashion Capitals are now recognized as the standard in the fashion world, as you can see below.  For the 2017 edition, we are tracking more than three-score established and emerging centers of fashion. Our efforts have attracted an inordinate number of citations in the global media, as well as in academic, research and texts. For more than a decade now, the Global Language Monitor has employed its proprietary algorithms to cut through the world of Big Data establishing the definitive, nonbiased rankings of the Top Global Fashion Capitals.

The result is a longitudinal survey that runs for three years, with its final updating in the weeks before the yearly announcement. GLM surveys. billions of web pages, millions of blogs, the top 300,000 global print and electronic media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.  In effect, any and all databases available on the web, including key proprietary databases for specific content.

About the Global Language Monitor

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.  Previous to this Payack was the founding president at yourDictionary.com, and a senior executive for a number of leading high tech companies.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print and electronic media, and the global fashion industry, among others.

For more information, call 1.512.801.6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com

Excellent Question, Will …

August 2017, Austin, TEXAS, and NEW YORK (Update) — The Global Language Monitor (GLM) today announced the Top Trending Words of the Year (#WOTY) for 2017 (Mid-year Update). The final Top Words of 2017 will be announced on November 16, 2017.  This is an update to the Top Trending Words of the Year that GLM produces several times as the yeat 2017 unfolds.

Truth continues as the Top Word of the Year, while Narrative continues in second place. Reflecting the rising alarm GLM first pointed to during the first presidential debates, Opioids made the leap from No. 10 to No.3. Of the next seven spots, all were new to the rankings with the exception of the Nuclear Option (Korea), which moved up two spots to No. 5. New words included Woke, Deep State, and Robot Apocalypse. Regarding ‘fake news,’ newly unmasked as an ethnic slur, the term was supplanted by the concept of a ‘higher level of fake news’ — a time-honored methodology of creating and planting ‘legitimate’ news stories. The most downward trending were Brexit falling eight spots to No. 12, and No. 3 #Resist most dramatically dropping from No. 3 to No. 19.

GLM also announced that the Global English Word of the Year for 2016 was not a word but a meme: the blood-soaked image of Omran Daqneesh, five years old, sitting in an ambulance while awaiting treatment in Allepo, Syria.(Click Here to see Top Global English Words of 2016.)

Covfefe, the Trumpian Typo heard ‘round the world, crossed GLM’s Triple Threshold to make the 2017 #WOTY list, with some 400,000+ media citations alone.

“The amount of linguistic churn in this three-month span is interesting in the extreme.  In fact, the English language well represents the tumultuous and tempestuous world of today.” said Paul JJ Payack, President, and Chief Word Analyst of GLM. “If this churn persists for a significantly longer period of time, this will presage an unprecedented moment in its history. “

‘Truth’ is Top Word of the Year,     2017 (#WOTY) in Both Analyses

DRAWING IN A TIME OF FEAR & LIES • WEEKEND   Babblegate Is the New Watergate

Comparison with the earlier version continue below.

The Top Words, Phrases, and Names since the Turn of the Century

2016:
Top Words: No. 1 Truth, No. 2 Narrative, No. 3, #Resist
Top Phrases: No. 1 Make America Great Again No. 2 When they go low, we go high No. 3 The Electoral College
Top Names: No. 1 Donald Trump, No. 2 Vladimir Putin, No. 3 Neil Gorsuch

2015:
Top Words: No. 1 Microaggression
Top Phrases: No. 1 Migrant Crisis
Top Names: No. 1 Donald J. Trump

2014:
Top Words: No. 1 The Heart ♥ Emoji (for love) , No. 2 Hashtag , No. 3 Vape
Top Phrases: No. 1 Hands Up, Don’t Shoot; No. 2 Cosmic Inflation, No. 3 Global Warming
Top Names: No. 1 Ebola, No. 2 Pope Francis, No. 3 World War I

2013:
Top Words: No. 1 ’404’, No.2 Fail, No.3 Hashtag
Top Phrases: No. 1 Toxic Politics, No. 2 Federal Shutdown, No.3 Global Warming/Climate Change
Top Names: No. 1. Pope Francis, No. 2 ObamaCare, No.3 NSA

2012:
Top Words: No. 1 ApocalypseArmageddon, No.2 Deficit, No. 3 Olympiad
Top Phrases: No. 1 Gangnam Style, No. 2 Climate Change/Global Warming, No. 3 Fiscal Cliff
Top Names: No. 1 Newtown and Malala Yousafzai, No. 3 Xi Jinping

2011:
Top Words: No. 1 Occupy, No.2 Fracking, No.3 Drone
Top Phrases: No. 1 Arab Spring, No. 2 Royal Wedding, No.3 Anger and Rage
Top Names: No. 1 Steve Jobs, No. 2 Osama bin-laden and Seal Team Six, No.3 Fukushima

2010:
Top Words: No. 1 Occupy, No.2 Fracking, No.3 Drone
Top Phrases: No. 1 Anger and Rage, No. 2 Climate Change, No. 3 The Great Recession
Top Names: No. 1 Hu Jintao, paramount leader of China, No. 2 iPad, No. 3 Barack Obama

2009:
Top Words: No. 1 Twitter, No. 2 Obama-, No. 3 H1N1
Top Phrases: No. 1 King of Pop, No. 2 Obama-mania, No. 3 Climate Change
Top Names: No. 1 Obama, No. 2 Michael Jackson, No. 3 Mobama

2008:
Top Words: No. 1 Change, No. 2 Bailout, No. 3 Obama-mania
Top Phrases: No. 1 Financial Tsunami, No. 2 Global Warming, No. 3 “Yes, We Can!”
Top Names: No. 1 Barack Obama, No. 2 George W. Bush, No.3 Michael Phelps

2007:
Top Words: No. 1 Hybrid (representing all things green), No. 2: Surge
Top Phrase: Climate Change
Top Name: Al Gore

2006:
Top Word: Sustainable
Top Phrase: Stay the Course
Top Name: Dafur

2005:
Top Words: No. 1, Refugee No. 2: Tsunami No. 3: Katrina
Top Phrase: Outside the Mainstream
Top Name: (acts of ) God

2004:
Top Word: Incivility (for inCivil War)
Top Phrase: Red States/Blue States No. 2: Rush to War
Top Name: Dubya/Rove

2003:
Top Word: Embedded
Top Phrase: Shock and Awe, No. 2: Rush to War
Top Name: Saddam Hussein, No. 2 Dubya

2002:
Top Word: Misunderestimate
Top Phrase: Threat Fatigue
Top Name: W (Dubya)

2001:
Top Word: Ground Zero
Top Phrase: ‘Lets Roll’
Top Name: The Heros

2000:
Top Word: Chad
Top Phrase: Dot.com
Top Name: W (Dubya)

Methodology:  The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 1.83 billion speakers (January 2013 estimate) GLM employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global Internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the top 300,000 print and electronic global media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

For More Information, go to LanguageMonitor.com or call 1.512.801.6823.

In the News, Some Classics

GLM In the News: A Selection

The Global Language Monitor is used as a media source for the print and electronic media around the globe.

Hundreds of news articles around the world incorporate GLM research every yea.

You can find links to some of the classic examples below.


Nikki Tundel (MPR) on 
Climate Change


RAI UNO on GLM’s 
Top Fashion Capitals


ZD 
net on the Most Confusing Acronym (SOA)


NY Times’ Safire acknowledges existence of 
HollyWords that GLM has been highlighting since 2004

Enumerating English: Geoffrey Nunberg (NPR/Fresh Air) Can’t Count Words; Who Cares!?


Global English by Neil Reynolds: 
Spread the Word, English is Unstoppable

The ThoughtTopper Institute

Analyzing What is Real  and What is True in the News

Before it became a global scandal, GLM had been analyzing the reality behind the News.

Helping discerning thinkers to understand a Higher Level of Fake News™

The articles included in this ThoughtTopper Institute series were first drafted by Paul JJ Payack over the last several years.  Subsequently, some of the originals were expanded with Edward ML Peters, Ph.D. and published in The Hill and other publications.

Paul JJ Payack

Paul JJ Payack

The premise of the original articles was that economists and politicians and intellectual thought leaders had missed the essence of the profound worldwide economic, electronic, and academic transformations that had been underway for some time and would continue into the future if constrained by this profoundly limited vision.

In fact, the facts have borne out our original assumptions.  The Global Economic Restructuring has continued unabated.  China continues to rise, the US and the West continue to struggle, and the ancient question of what is real (and true) has again risen to the forefront.

The Lost Decade of Japan has indeed been replicated, as we had feared.  The recovery did not mirror previous recoveries in the US.  And the traditional manufacturing sector continues to erode.

Edward ML Peters, Ph.D

Paul JJ Payack is president of Austin-based Global Language Monitor.Edward ML Peters, Ph.D. is the managing director of Austin-based ThoughtTopper Institute.

Their most recent book is “The Paid-for Option”, which describes how healthcare reform can actually pay for itself through the application of process intelligence and its attendant gains in productivity.

Der Spiegel

Chinglish Die Sache mit dem Ding

Globe and Mail (Canada)

Spread the Word, English is Unstoppable

ZDNet

Hooray! ‘SOA’ voted most ‘confusing acronym of the year’

Chinese Lecture Series

A General Survey of Translation

The Sunday Times (UK)

Tweet, blog, text: the words that define the Noughties

Logo

‘Truthiness’ among top TV buzzwords of year

Stride and Saunter

Top Global Fashion            Capitals 12th Edition       Announced August 30th

The Global Language Monitor’s 11th  Survey

Paris nearly doubled Scores of New York and London

Paris Fashion Week, Autumn 2015, New York and Austin, Texas — Paris has stunned New York City toppling it from its one year reign as the Top Global Fashion Capital in the Global Language Monitor’s 11th Annual survey. London remained in the third spot as did L.A.at No. 4.  Rounding out the Top Ten were Rome, Milano, Barcelona, Berlin, and Madrid, followed by Tokyo. Currently, there are fifty-six fashion capitals being charted, with a number under watch for 2016.

In 2015 GLM added one city to the analysis, Washington, DC,  which made a splash, er belly flopped, to No. 53.

“In a world torn by war, repression, and the brutal subjugation of women and girls, fashion remains a bastion of self-expression,” said Paul JJ Payack, Chief Word Analyst and president of GLM.  “And fashion can be a force for good that can be experienced in a positive manner in every culture and tradition.”

Paris redevient la capitale mondiale de la mode

 

It is a verdict made for eleven years and which, regularly, brings its share of surprises. Between the emerging cities and the four major cities - Paris, New York, London and Milan - which compete for first place, the Global Language Monitor’s ranking of fashion capitals is highly anticipated. At the time when New York Fashion Week opens, the results have just fallen.

Moving up from No.12 to No.6 word ordinarily send the City’s Fashion Establishment into an ecstatic state.  
Not so, if you are Milano. And especially so if you followed by Roma, at No. 5.

Last March, Milano was the Top Fashion Buzzword for 2015 followed by Suede, Booty, and Kate’s Baby Girl. 
However, this is a far cry from the Top Global Fashion Capital ranking, where Milano then ranked No. 12. (sic?).  
Much of the internet media buzz, not all of it positive, revolves upon these efforts to revive its ‘brand’.

Recent reports from Milano Moda Donna 2015 were mixed

Milan has been working hard to re-establish itself as the pre-eminent capital of Global Fashion, or at least to being consistently named as one of the Big Four (with Paris, New York, and London).   Currently, the No. 4 spot is occupied by LA, which GLM sees as representing the Red Carpet phenomenon.

After an extraordinary two-year reign (2011-2012), London has settled into the No. 3 spot, comfortably behind Paris and New York — for the second year in a row.    London also took the third spot in all four major areas of measurement used in determining the annual rankings for the Global Language Monitor.

.Last year New York topped Paris by less than .05%, the tightest margin ever.   This year Paris returned the favor — and then some— by nearly doubling New York’s score.

In another first, Paris topped all four categories worldwide.

Sydney remains strong as Melbourne falters; for the first time, New Delhi and Mumbai resultedin a virtual dead heat.The Global Fashion Capitals for Swimwear were Miami, Barcelona, and Bali.Barcelona, Berlin, and Madrid remain hot as does what we are now calling the Asian Fashion Cluster:  Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.Seoul remains on the outside, very outside, of the Cluster at No. 56.Read About The World’s Leading Cities for Fashion based  on GLM rankingsThe Top Global Fashion Capital Rankings are listed below, in the format: Ranking, Fashion Capital, and Previous Position.

The Watch List for 2017 includes Abidjan, Accra, Auckland, Beirut, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Lagos.

Top Fashion Capitals by Region

Europe:Paris, London, Rome, Milano, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Florence, Monaco, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Frankfurt.India:Mumbai, New Delhi (statistical dead heat)Australia:Sydney, MelbourneEast Asia:Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. SeoulRSA:Cape Town, JohannesburgMiddle Europe:Moscow, Prague, Vienna, St Petersburg, Warsaw and KrakowCanada:

Toronto, Montreal, high techand Vancouver,Mideast:Dubai, Abu DhabiSpain:Barcelona, MadridLatin America:Sao Paulo, Rio de Janerio, Buenos Aires, Caracas, , Santiago and Mexico CityRegional US:New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Boston, Las Vegas, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Austin and Washington, DC

Methodology: For this analysis, the Global Language Monitor used its proprietary Brand Affiliation Index (BAI), 
the same technology used to measure global brand equity for the Olympics, World Cup, the Fortune 500, and others. 
This exclusive, GLM longitudinal-study encompasses the prior three years to better assess short-term velocity 
and longer-term momentum. The study is a Big Data textual analysis based on billions of webpages, millions of blogs, 
the top 375,000 global print, and electronic media, and new social media formats as they appear. 
This is the eleventh edition of the survey, which was first made public in 2007.

About the Global Language Monitor

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.  Previous to this Payack was the founding president at yourDictionary.com, and a senior executive for a number of high-tech companies.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print and electronic media, and the global fashion industry, among others.

For more information, call 1.512.801.6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com

Truthiness and Wikiality

Home

By Jim Cheng, USA TODAYComedy Central’s Stephen Colbert adds words like “Truthiness” and “Wikiality” to the TV lexicon; plus, Elton John issues his hip-hop producer wish list.  Colbert’s ‘truthiness’ strikes a chord“Truthiness” and “Wikiality,” two words popularized by political satirist Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, were named the top television buzzwords of the year Sunday. The word-trend group Global Language Monitor, in its annual survey of words from TV that had an effect on the language, defined truthiness as meaning “truth unencumbered by the facts.” Wikiality, derived from the user-compiled Wikipedia information website, was defined as “reality as determined by majority vote,” as when astronomers voted Pluto off their list of planets last week. The survey also cited the words “Katrina,” referring to continuing stories about the hurricane’s destruction; “Katie,” a reference to Katie Couric’s move into the nightly news anchor role at CBS News; and “Dr. McDreamy,” a nod to a character on the breakout hit Grey’s Anatomy.

Elton wants to march to ‘hip-hop beats’Elton John going hip-hop? “I want to bring my songs and melodies to hip-hop beats — a bit like No Diggity by Blackstreet,” John said in excerpts from an interview on Rolling Stone’s website. “I love those beats, but I have no idea how to get them.” John said he wants to work with Dr. Dre, although he hasn’t approached him. “I want to work with Pharrell, Timbaland, Snoop, Kanye, Eminem and just see what happens. It may be a disaster, it could be fantastic, but you don’t know until you try.” John’s next album, The Captain and the Kid, is due next month Posted 8/27/2006 11:22 PM ET

HollyWord Name Game

Jun. 1, 2006 at 5:59 PM

Reuters

If you have ever wondered what’s in a name, consider: Brooklyn, Moxie Crimefighter, Bluebell Madonna, Suri, Phinneaus, Apple and, debuting just last week, Shiloh.

All these are names that celebrities have bestowed upon their newborns in their quest for the unusual, outlandish or off-the-wall. Consider plain Bill boring and banned.

The experts say it is only a matter of time before the latest trendy new names spread to the general public. For example, ordinary people in the Bronx could start naming their children Brooklyn — a name British soccer star David Beckham and his ex-Spice Girl wife Victoria chose for their son.

Although some name experts think the public might embrace Brooklyn as a first name, they might not jump at the name another former Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell, gave her daughter — Bluebell Madonna.

Shortly before the birth, Halliwell told a British magazine she saw bluebells everywhere and took that as a sign. As for the name Madonna, she explained it this way: “No one else has the name except the Virgin and the singer, who I adore.”

It might take a few years to see if the name Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave their new daughter — Shiloh — when she was born on Saturday catches on with the general public.

A girl called MessiahPaul JJ Payack, the head of Global Language Monitor, which monitors word and name usage, says Shiloh is unusual in several ways: it is the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War, a male name and means Messiah.

“This is, indeed, a very unusual trend, where the baby’s name is seen as just another Hollywood adornment,” Payack said.

“Having children has become a fad, and as will any fad emanating from Hollywood, self-augmentation, adornment and going to the extreme are going to be present,” he said.

Pam Satran, co-author of the bestselling baby naming book “Beyond Jason & Jennifer,” says that for years bland names were the order of the day, but not any more. In fact, the next edition of her book will be titled, “Beyond Jason & Jennifer, Madison & Montana” to recognize the first name revolution.

“Twenty years ago celebrity baby names were pretty simple. It was Kate, Kate, Max, Max. Now celebrities are trying to outdo celebrities,” she said.

In the 1950s, if a celebrity had an unusual name he or she would change it something simple and socially acceptable like Ken or Debbie.

As the decades passed, new fads included using boys’ names for girls, like Drew, Cameron and Stockard. Then came the place names: Madison, Brooklyn, Paris and now, Shiloh.

“These days if you have an ordinary name in Hollywood you change it to a weird one. The more distinctive your name is the better. There’s a whole issue of image and branding out there,” Satran said.

She added, “Celebrities are very much aware of the power of their image.”

And with that in mind, here are some example of what celebrities have recently called their children: Julia Roberts, Hazel and Phinneaus; Gwyneth Paltrow, Moses and Apple; Jason Lee, Pilot Inspektor; Joely Fisher, True Harlow; and Nicolas Cage: Kal-el.

According to the Social Security Administration the 10 most popular male names of the 2000s so far are Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew, Andrew, Christopher, Joseph, Daniel, Nicholas and Ethan.

For girls they are Emily, Madison, Hannah, Emma, Ashley, Abigail, Alexis, Olivia, Samantha and Sarah.

Or to sum up in a single word: BORING.

Washington Post: Your One-in-a-Million, or -ion Bombardment

GLM’s Editor’s Note:  Thanks o the Washington Post for creating this bit of linguistic sophistry.  After nearly a decade, we are pleased/disappointed to announce that NOT One of these entries has wriggled itself into the English language.  More the pity.

 — PJJP

Report From Week 665

In which we took suggestions for the 1 millionth word in the English language, which, according to the algorithms set forth by one Paul JJ Payack, is 11,032 words away as of June 30 (then again, it also was 11,032 words away on March 21). Just to be imperious, the Empress decreed that the word had to end in -ion. Some otherwise good entries turned up too often on Google, such as “comcastration,” getting your cable cut off.

4 Martyration: A request for only 36 virgins in paradise. (Chris Doyle, Forsyth, Mo.)

3 Espanation: Stupidly adding a vowel at the end of an English word to try to talk to a Spanish-speaker; e.g., “Which aisle-o has the cerealo?” (Alan Hochbaum, Atlanta)

The winner of the “Brechlinker,” the Inker with the Barbie head:

Errudition: Comical misuse of big words. “Madam, your dress looks positively superfluous on you tonight,” he said with amazing errudition. (Tom Witte, Montgomery Village)

And the Winner of the Inker

Percycution: Giving your child a name he will hate for the rest of his life. (Marty McCullen, Gettysburg, Pa.)

Fermentions

  (Bob Staake for The Washington Post)

Achoodication: Trying to determine whether you have to say “bless you” after someone’s second sneeze. (Brendan Beary, Great Mills)

Applicushion: Your fall-back college. (Phil Frankenfeld, Washington)

Banglion: The primitive neural structure constituting 90 percent of the male brain. (Elwood Fitzner, Valley City, N.D.)

Awwdition: A tryout for the Cutest Babies and Puppies Pageant. (Dave Prevar, Annapolis)

Bossculation: Kissing up to management. (Chris Doyle)

Boysion: A house that looks bigger and more luxurious than it really is. “The railroad tracks separated the mansions from the boysions.” (Elizabeth Moly?, Falls Church)

Bratisfaction: Stomping your feet until you get your way, and you do. (Steve McClemons, Arlington)

Cadhesion: The emotional attachment that keeps some women from breaking up with men who treat them badly. (Brad Alexander, Wanneroo, Australia)

Codgertation: A man’s realization that with a certain saying, thought or action, he has turned into his father. (Brendan Beary)

Coitillion: A formal dance at which a debutante really makes her debut. (Steve Fahey, Kensington; Joseph Romm, Washington)

Dabomination: Something that is hateful in the Lord’s eyes, but otherwise is way awesome. (Brendan Beary)

Delugion: The mistaken impression that the levees would hold. (Steve Fahey)

Doughnation: The extra item in a baker’s dozen. (Tom Witte)

Dreckspansion: Now on washingtonpost.com, even more Style Invitational entries! (Brendan J. O’Byrne, Regina, Saskatchewan)

Effemination: France. (Kevin Dopart, Washington)

Emensapation: To free yourself from that circle of pedants comparing their SAT scores from 30 years ago. (Jeff Brechlin, Eagan, Minn.)

Enamortization: To fall rashly in love with an object or person, and end up paying for it for the next 20 years. (Brendan Beary)

Esion: The sound of music played backward. “Oh, the White Album played backward doesn’t say ‘daed si luaP.’ It’s just esion.” (Steve Langer, Chevy Chase)

Flabrication: The weight on your driver’s license. (Bruce Carlson, Alexandria)

Flashion: The latest look in trench coats. (Kyle Hendrickson, Frederick)

Homo-erection: Anything built by the species Homo erectus, of course . What else would it be? (Russell Beland, Springfield)

Immigaytion: The GOP’s two-pronged fear strategy: “It’s two, two, two horrors in one!” (Peter Metrinko, Chantilly)

Indigentrification: That new trailer park and check-cashing outlet on Foxhall Road. (Chris Doyle)

Infectuation: An obsessive attraction to someone who’s going to do you very wrong. (Barbara Turner, Takoma Park)

Iraqtion: A state of political arousal. Initially pleasurable, but requires professional attention if the condition lasts more than four years. (Mark Eckenwiler, Washington)

Irkstation: The cubicle right next to yours, with the co-worker who flosses at his desk. (Tom Witte)

Levistation: A maneuver for putting on tight jeans, in which a woman lies on her back, lifts her hips and then kicks both legs straight up. (Brad Alexander)

Liketation: Giving the milk of human kindness. (Andrew Hoenig, Rockville)

Maltiplication: The way that “a beer with the guys” becomes two, then four, then eight … (Brendan Beary)

Menschion: The rare acknowledgment of the rare man who doesn’t seek publicity. (Richard Pearlstein, Falls Church)

Mession: What’s really been accomplished in Iraq. (Tom Witte)

Miniminion: The bottom banana in an organization; a sycophant’s yes-man. (Stephen Dudzik, Olney)

Oyveycation: A trip back to Brooklyn to visit Aunt Tillie. (Ned Bent, Oak Hill)

Prevulsion: When you know you’re just gonna hate it so much, you can taste it. (Bruce Carlson)

Preztidigitation: An ability to fool an audience while having absolutely no sleight of tongue. (Phyllis Reinhard, East Fallowfield, Pa.)

Racquisition: Implant surgery. (Nick Curtis, Gaithersburg)

Regattacotillion: A vocabulary word designed solely to discriminate against minorities on standardized tests. (David Kleinbard, Jersey City)

Regeorgitation: When the vending machine spits back your dollar bill. (Jay Shuck, Minneapolis)

Samesextillion: The number of gay marriages we’ll have without a constitutional amendment to ban them. — P. Robertson (Chris Doyle)

Sintuition: 1. A knack for recognizing women willing to have sex with you; 2. The cost of a “date” with one of these women. (Dave Kelsey, Fairfax)

Snubdivision: a gated community created to keep out people like YOU. (Stephen Dudzik)

Unsurrection: Oh, it’s just a few desperate dead-enders setting roadside bombs. — D. Rumsfeld, Washington (Dot Yufer, Newton, W.Va.)

Vachion: The current anti-style rule that your dimensions shouldn’t restrict your clothing choice, e.g., size XXXL hot pink spandex leggings. (Chris Parkin, Silver Spring)

Weareligion: What sleeves are for. — B. Frist, Nashville (Kevin Dopart)

Anti-Invitational: Noinkish: Something only slightly amusing. (Russell Beland, Springfield)

And another Anti-Invitational: Annoi: To irritate the Empress by sending an Anti-Invitational entry. (Stephen Dudzik)

“All Things New York City” are the Top Fashion Buzzwords of 2014

The Seventh Annual Analysis by the Global Language Monitor

NEW YORK, September 12, 2014 – “All things New York” has been named the Top Fashion Buzzword for 201 4, in the Global Language Monitor’s seventh annual ranking.  Attitude, Reds, Underbut(t) and Visible Panty Lines (VPL) follow.  Boyfriend Jeans,  Side Boobs, The Kardashian Clan, Robe-style Coats, and Pastels follow.

All Things New York”, capturing the essence of the New York fashion sense, dominates the 2014 Top Fashion Buzzword list,” said Rebecca Roman, Manhattan-based Fashion Director for GLM. “It is difficult to think of any global fashion trend that does not have a strong presence, if not its origin,  in the New York City.

For the current list of the Top 50 Fashion Capitals Go here

The Top Fashion Buzzwords of 2014 follow:

Rank, Buzzword, Comment

  1. “All things New York” — In 2014 New York stands astride the world of fashion.
  2. Attitude — It’s not just what you wear but how you wear it.
  3. Reds — Big, bold, and bright.
  4. Underbut(t) — Yes, we said ‘underbut(t).
  5. VPL (Visible Panty Lines) — For decades, the idea was to eliminate VPL; VPLs are now in style.
  6. Boyfriend Jeans — Popular but not always fashionable.
  7. Side Boobs — Same as above.
  8. The Kardashian Clan — Same as above.
  9. Robe-style Coats — More bedroom-style in the streets.
  10. Pastels — Appropriate now for all seasons.
  11. Funky Eye Makeup — You know it when you see it.
  12. Earthy Tones — Mixing various earth tones together.
  13. Sneakers — Still popular in all shapes and sizes.
  14. Transparents — Updated Peek-a-boo look.
  15. Sweaters — Particularly Wool, particularly big.

Methodology:  GLM’s various word analyses are longitudinal in nature covering a number of years that varies with the particular analysis.  The rankings are based upon actual word usage throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 1.83 billion people.  GLM analyses billions of web pages, millions of blogs, 300,000 print and electronic news organizations, and new social media sites as they emerge.  To qualify for GLM’s lists, the words, names, and phrases must be found globally, have a minimum of 25,000 citations. and the requisite ‘depth’ and ‘breadth’ of usage.  Depth is here defined as appearing in various forms of media; breadth that they must appear world-over, not limited to a particular profession or social group or geography.

Top Fashion Buzzwords of previous years include:

  • London (2013)
  • the Princess Effect (2012)
  • Kate Middleton (2011)
  • Lady Gaga (2010), and
  • Chiconomics (2009)

Each year, the Global Language Monitor ranks the Top Global Fashion Capitals. In 2013 New York topped Paris and London followed by Los Angeles (!?), Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, Sydney, Antwerp, and Shanghai.About the Global Language MonitorIn 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.Today, from its home in Austin, Texas Global Language Monitor analyzes and catalogs the latest trends in word usage and word choices and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.For more information, call 512.801.6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

New York Takes Top Global Fashion Capital Title from London, edging past Paris

The Global Language Monitor’s 10th Annual Survey

 The Difference between New York and Paris was 0.05%    And No. 4?  Los Angeles! Yes, LA. February Fashion Weeks, 2014 New York and Austin, Texas — New York has reclaimed the title of the Top Global Fashion Capital from London, which had held the tile for 2011 and 2012.  Paris, which also won the title of the Top Global Fashion Capital for Haute Couture, finished in the No. 2 spot overall.  New York and Paris were separated by 0.05%, the closest in the 10-year history of the Global Language Monitor’s survey.   In another development, Los Angeles moved into the esteemed Big  Four status, moving up five spots from 2012.. The rest of the Top Ten included:  Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, Sydney, Antwerp, and Shanghai.    Berlin solidified its position, while Antwerp completed it steady climb, Sydney had a triumphal return, and Shanghai returns to what many consider its rightful place in the Top Ten.   Asia was well represented with Tokyo (11), Singapore (19), and Hong Kong (20) in the Top Twenty.  “New York City has, indeed, earned its Top Global Fashion Capital ranking through its disciplined, methodical yet creative approach to its fashion industry,” said Bekka Payack, New York-based Fashion Director  for The Global Language Monitor.

Midtown Manhattan, the center of it all

The rest of the Top Ten included:  Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, Sydney, Antwerp, and Shanghai.    Berlin solidified its position, while Antwerp completed it steady climb, Sydney had a triumphal return, and Shanghai returns to what many consider its rightful place in the Top Ten.   Asia was well represented with Tokyo (11), Singapore (19), and Hong Kong (20) in the Top Twenty.  “New York City has, indeed, earned its Top Global Fashion Capital ranking through its disciplined, methodical yet creative approach to its fashion industry,” said Bekka Payack, New York-based Fashion Director  for The Global Language Monitor.

Read Vanessa Friedman for a UK point of view.

“Paris, with the Top Haute Couture ranking, of course, has a centuries-long heritage, having invented the very concept, also scored highly in the pret-a-porter category.  This year’s rankings also demonstrate the creative energy that is emerging worldwide in terms of fashion as a jobs, income and wealth generator, not to mention the prestige associated with exporting your fashion sense to the world.

Read About the Top US Fashion Economic Powerhouses in AtlanticCities

Paris Came in at No. 2, but Watch this Space …

After a great 2-year run atop the rankings, London has settled comfortably into the No. 2 spot

. The Top Global Fashion Capital Rankings are listed below, in the format:  Position, City, Change from 2012, and comment.

  1. New York (+1) — The Big Apple is back on top of the fashion world by slipping past Paris by .5%.
  2. Paris (+2) — The Top Global Fashion Capital for Haute Couture is surprisingly strong in pret-a-porter, also.
  3. London (-2) — London has enjoyed a fabulous two-year run and is now secure in its place in the top echelon for global fashion.
  4. Los Angeles (+5) — Zut alors! Tinsel Town in the Top Four? The result of the melding of the Red Carpet, the Industry (film, of course), and West Coast cool.
  5. Barcelona (-2)  —  Espana, again, places two Fashion Capitals in the Top Fifteen.  Barcelona also wins the Top Fashion Capital for Swimwear.
  6. Rome (0) — Rome may have Seven Hills but Italy now has Three Fashion Capitals (and Milan is No. 2).
  7. Berlin (+3)  — Berlin continues its steady rise moving deeper into the the elite ranks.
  8. Sydney (+7)  —  Sydney towers over OZ distancing (and distinguishing) itself, once again, from Melbourne.
  9. Antwerp (+2)  — Ah Antwerp, reverberations of the avant garde Antwerp Six continues into the 21st century.
  10. Shanghai (+12) —  As China further emerges onto the world stage, Shanghai leads the fashion charge.
  11. Tokyo (+9) — Tokyo made a leap in 2013 that many consider long overdue.
  12. Milano (-4)  —  Milan was the Top Global Fashion Capital back in 2009 and remains a strong contender for the top spot year-after-year.
  13. Florence (+3)  — Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli — A proud heritage to a thriving fashion industry in 2013.
  14. Madrid (-9) —  Still strong in 2013,  further cementing its place among the elite Fashion Capitals.
  15. Sao Paulo (-8)  — Again, the Queen of Latin American Fashion Capitals.
  16. St. Petersburg (+35)  —  Russian comes into 2014 with two Fashion Capitals in the Top Twenty, with Petrograd surprising  Moscow.   Read more

  The Global Language Monitor’s 10th Annual Survey

   The Difference between New York and Paris was 0.05%    And No. 4?  Los Angeles! Yes, LA. February Fashion Weeks, 2014 New York and Austin, Texas — New York has reclaimed the title of the Top Global Fashion Capital from London, which had held the tile for 2011 and 2012.  Paris, which also won the title of the Top Global Fashion Capital for Haute Couture, finished in the No. 2 spot overall.  New York and Paris were separated by 0.05%, the closest in the 10-year history of the Global Language Monitor’s survey.   In another development, Los Angeles moved into the esteemed Big  Four status, moving up five spots from 2012.

Coming Later in 2014:  The Global Fashion Capital Institute

. The rest of the Top Ten included:  Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, Sydney, Antwerp, and Shanghai.    Berlin solidified its position, while Antwerp completed its steady climb, Sydney had a triumphal return, and Shanghai returns to what many consider its rightful place in the Top Ten.   Asia was well represented with Tokyo (11), Singapore (19), and Hong Kong (20) in the Top Twenty.  “New York City has, indeed, earned its Top Global Fashion Capital ranking through its disciplined, methodical yet creative approach to its fashion industry.” said Bekka Payack, New York-based Fashion Director for The Global Language Monitor.

Read Vanessa Friedman for a UK point of view.

“Paris, with the Top Haute Couture ranking, of course has a centuries-l, ng heritage, having invented the very concept, also scored highly in the pret-a-porter category.  This year’s rankings also demonstrate the creative energy that is emerging worldwide in terms of fashion as a jobs, income and wealth generator, not to mention the prestige associated with exporting your fashion sense to the world.”

Read About the Top US Fashion Economic Powerhouses in AtlanticCities

. The Top Global Fashion Capital Rankings are listed below, in the format:  Position, City, Change from 2012, and comment.

  1. New York (+1) — The Big Apple is back on top of the fashion world by slipping past Paris by .5%.
  2. Paris (+2) — The Top Global Fashion Capital for Haute Couture is surprisingly strong in pret-a-porter, also.
  3. London (-2) — London has enjoyed a fabulous two-year run and is now secure in its place in the top echelon for global fashion.
  4. Los Angeles (+5) — Zut alors! Tinsel Town in the Top Four? The result of the melding of the Red Carpet, the Industry (film, of course), and West Coast cool.
  5. Barcelona (-2)  —  Espana, again, places two Fashion Capitals in the Top Fifteen.  Barcelona also wins the Top Fashion Capital for Swimwear.
  6. Rome (0) — Rome may have Seven Hills but Italy now has Three Fashion Capitals (and Milan is No. 2).
  7. Berlin (+3)  — Berlin continues its steady rise moving deeper into the the elite ranks.
  8. Sydney (+7)  —  Sydney towers over OZ distancing (and distinguishing) itself, once again, from Melbourne.
  9. Antwerp (+2)  — Ah Antwerp, reverberations of the avant garde Antwerp Six continues into the 21st century.
  10. Shanghai (+12) —  As China further emerges onto the world stage, Shanghai leads the fashion charge.
  11. Tokyo (+9) — Tokyo made a leap in 2013 that many consider long overdue.
  12. Milano (-4)  —  Milan was the Top Global Fashion Capital back in 2009 and remains a strong contender for the top spot year-after-year.
  13. Florence (+3)  — Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli — A proud heritage to a thriving fashion industry in 2013.
  14. Madrid (-9) —  Still strong in 2013,  further cementing its place among the elite Fashion Capitals.
  15. Sao Paulo (-8)  — Again, the Queen of Latin American Fashion Capitals.
  16. St. Petersburg (+35)  —  Russian comes into 2014 with two Fashion Capitals in the Top Twenty, with Petrograd surprising  Moscow.   Read more

123 … 7previous posts

  •  
  • AboutAbout  Select Category  #WOTY  About  Ambush Marketing  American Heritage Dictionary  Arnoldspeak  BBC  Big Data  Brand Affiliation Index  Brand Scorecard  Bushisns  Business Buzzwords  Catchphrases  Chad  China  Chinglish  Covfefe  David Letterman  Dictionaries  Disasters  Economics  Edward ML Peters  Emoji  English Language  Fake News  Fakir  Fashion  Fashion Capitals  Flashback  Flesch Test  Future  Future of English  George W. Bush  Global English  Global Language Monitor  Great Recession  Harvard University  Healthcare  HollyWords (from Films)  In the News  Internet MediaBuzz  Kate Middleton  Katrina  London  Meme  Milan  Millionth English Word  Names/Naming  Narratives  NarrativeTracker  New York  NPR  Number of Words  Obama  Olympics  Paul JJ Payack  Politically Correct  Politically Incorrect  Politics  PQI  Presidebcy  Presidency  Princess Diana  Re-Federalised US  Rewind  Robert Beard  Science and Scientific Thought  Social Narratives  Stonehenge Watch  Syria  Telewords  The Hill (DC)  Thoughttopper Institute  Tokyo  Top Colleges  Top Words of the Year  Translation  Trending Words  Trump  Truth  Twitter  US in 2076  Vuvuzela  Web 2.0  Web of Online Dictionaries  World Cup  yourDictionary  Zika 
  • Most Confusing Tech Buzzwords of Century
  • Statcounter
  • Obama’s Favorite Buzzwords
  • Rewind: Top Words of the Year (Five Years Ago)
  • Contact GLM
  • Meta
  • Featured Posts12345
  • CategoriesCategories  Select Category  #WOTY  About  Ambush Marketing  American Heritage Dictionary  Arnoldspeak  BBC  Big Data  Brand Affiliation Index  Brand Scorecard  Bushisns  Business Buzzwords  Catchphrases  Chad  China  Chinglish  Covfefe  David Letterman  Dictionaries  Disasters  Economics  Edward ML Peters  Emoji  English Language  Fake News  Fakir  Fashion  Fashion Capitals  Flashback  Flesch Test  Future  Future of English  George W. Bush  Global English  Global Language Monitor  Great Recession  Harvard University  Healthcare  HollyWords (from Films)  In the News  Internet MediaBuzz  Kate Middleton  Katrina  London  Meme  Milan  Millionth English Word  Names/Naming  Narratives  NarrativeTracker  New York  NPR  Number of Words  Obama  Olympics  Paul JJ Payack  Politically Correct  Politically Incorrect  Politics  PQI  Presidebcy  Presidency  Princess Diana  Re-Federalised US  Rewind  Robert Beard  Science and Scientific Thought  Social Narratives  Stonehenge Watch  Syria  Telewords  The Hill (DC)  Thoughttopper Institute  Tokyo  Top Colleges  Top Words of the Year  Translation  Trending Words  Trump  Truth  Twitter  US in 2076  Vuvuzela  Web 2.0  Web of Online Dictionaries  World Cup  yourDictionary  Zika 

© Copyright 2016
The Global Language Monitor by admin

“Truth” is Top Word of the Year 2017 by The Global Language Monitor

 

The Only Analysis for Global English Worldwide

18th annual analysis by the Global Language Monitor

Weinstein Effect” (and #MeToo) is the Top Phrase and Xi Jinping is the Top Name of 2017

 
 Recently, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) announced that Truth is the Word of the Year for 2017.

 

For Immediate Release,

For More Information, call 001.512.801.6823 or email info@LanguageMonitor.com.

December 2017,  Austin, Texas (Updated) – Truth has been named the 2017 Word of the Year for Global English (#WOTY2017) by the Global Language Monitor, in its eighteenth annual global analysis. In addition, the Weinstein Effect has been named the Top Phrase and Chinese leader Xi Jingping the Top Name of 2017.  Following ‘Truth’ were the words Narrative, Opioids, Awoke, and Nuclear Option.  Rounding out the Top Ten were Deep State, Robot Apocalypse, Higher Level of Fake News, Blessee, and Lean Into. 

Since the turn of the century, the Global Language Monitor has been naming the words of global English that have had the most profound influence upon the language, the culture, and/or the world of the 21st century,” said Paul JJ Payack, President, and Chief Word Analyst.  GLM ‘s methodology, true to its Silicon Valley heritage, is to examine the totality of Global English with the tools now available to better understand the underlying trends that shape our words and, hence, our world.”

GLM tracks the top trending words three times during the year before the final assessment is released at year end.  Below are the Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Words of the Year for Global English.

 

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Words of the Year for Global English

Rank, Word, Previous Rank, Definition 

  1. Truth (1) — Let’s face it.  The conversation is all about truth, or lack thereof.
  2. Narrative (2) — As GLM noted in ’08, Narratives began replacing facts in politics; a harbinger to ‘fake news’.
  3. Opioids (10) — More deaths than gun violence and automobiles crashed combined.
  4. Post-Truth (16) — Objective facts are less influential than appeals to emotion or the prevailing narrative.
  5. Woke (New) — Awakening to issues of social and racial justice.
  6. Brexit (4) — [United Kingdom] Definition according to Theresa May:  “Brexit means Brexit”.
  7. Blessee (New) — [RSA, South Africa] Those who are shown financial favor through a ‘Sugar Daddy’ (New)
  8. Non-binary (13) — Gender identity defined as neither male nor female.
  9. Anthropocene (15) — The current geological time period where human activities have had a major environmental impact on the Earth.
  10. Latinx (11) — Neologism for the Hispanic heritage of any stripe.
  11. Ransomware (New) — A type of malware where targeted sites are ‘captured’ and rendered useless until a ransom is paid to the hackers.
  12. Tradie (New) — [Australia] Short for any worker in the trades:  tradesmen, e.g., electricians (sparkies), truckers (truckies), chippies (carpenter) and the like.
  13. Flip (New) — Any quick financial transact5on meant to turn a quick profit, particularly involving real estate.
  14. Covfefe — The Trumpian Typo Heard ‘Round the world.
  15. #Resist — From Latin resistere, from re- + sistere to take a stand
  16. Appropriation (Cultural) — Now refers to the exploitation of an ‘ethnic’ culture by those of white European heritage.

Missed the Cut and former rank: Antifa (18), Alt-right (17), Bigly (5), and Populism (19)

 

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Phrases of the Year for Global English

Rank, Word, Previous Rank, Definition Weinstein Effect (New) — (#MeToo) Emboldened women across the globe confront those who have been abused them in their past.

  1. Weinstein Effect (and #MeToo) (New) — Emboldened women across the globe confront those who have been abused them in their past.
  2. Nuclear Option (7) — The use of nuclear weapons by either side in the on-going and decades-long North Korean standoff.
  3. Deep State (New) — The idea that entrenched bureaucracies, beholden to no one, controlling the ship of state with little concern for elected officials.  In effect, a ‘Shadow’ government
  4. For Real (FR) (New) — [Indian] It took a half a century for the hip lingo of Venice Beach to proliferate to the call centers of India as FR.
  5. Robot Apocalypse (New) — The oncoming usurpation of Humankind by robots and other advanced forms of Artificial Intelligence.
  6. Fake News (New) — A higher level (and far more dangerous method controlling the news) through special relationships, the tight control of events, planting sources, and keeping the actual facts to a tight inner circle.
  7. Lean Into (New) — Being totally committed (or lean into) a cause, an initiative, or career choice.
  8. Non-binary (13) — Gender identity defined as neither male nor female.
  9. Memory Care (14) — Euphemism for treating Alzheimer and other forms of dementia
  10. Cultural Appropriation — Now refers to the exploitation of an ‘ethnic’ culture by those of white European heritage.

Missed the Cut and former rank: Alt-right (17), Dumpster Fire (9), Nuclear Option for US Senate (6), and Safe Place (20).

 

Global Language Monitor’s 2017 Top Names of the Year

Rank, Name

  1. Xi Jinping — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
  2. Donald J. Trump — President of the United States of America; Trump took the Top Honors in 2016 and 2015.
  3. Pope Francis — Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City.
  4. Angela Merkel — Angela Dorothea Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
  5. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin — President of Russia
  6. Theresa May — P)rime Minister of the United Kingdom
  7. Kim Jung Un — North Korean Strongman
  8. Narendra Modi — Prime Minister of India
  9. Donald Tusk — President of the European Commission
  10. Shinzō Abe — Prime Minister of Japan
  11. Justin Trudeau — Prime Minister of Canada
  12. Hurricane Harvey and Maria — Hurricanes that devastated Houston and Puerto Rico, respectively

Methodology:  The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 2.35 billion speakers (January 2018 estimate) GLM employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global Internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the top 375,000 print and electronic global media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

 

About the Global Language Monitor

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print, and electronic media, as well as the global fashion industry, among others.

For more information, call 1.512.801-6823, email info@LanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

 



click tracking


The Moment and Weaponize: The Top Words of the Year 2018 for Global English

For more information call 1.737.215.7750, or email info@languagemonitor.com or tweet to @Languagemonitor

Updated Daily

 

The Moment: The Top Word of the Year 2018 for Global English (#WOTY)

Weaponize: The Top Word of the Year 2018 for the United States, alone.

Christmas - New Years Holiday,  2018, Austin, Texas — The Moment is the Top Word of the Year for 2018 (#WOTY) for Global English according to the Global Language Monitor,  while Weaponize is the is the Top Word of the Year (#WOTY) for the United States, alone.

This is the first time GLM’s analysis has determined two top WOTY.   This is because of the disparity between English-language usage between the US and the rest of the world especially in the language of politics,” said Paul JJ Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst, Global Language Monitor.

This is GLM’s nineteenth annual analysis since the turn of the century.  Following The Moment and Weaponize were opioids, nukes (N.K.), woke, family separation, trade war, fake news, PyeongChang, and RepresentOther words in the running for the preeminent Word of the Year for 2018 included Collusion, ICE, World Cup, Twitter Storm, Wild Fires, Migrants, Fact Check, Volatility, Resistance, and Brexit.

GLM is the only WOTY, based upon global statistical analysis of the English -Linguasphere.   English is the world’s first truly global language with some 2.53 billion speakers as a first, second or business language.  (GLM has recently launched an effort to help better understand the number and composition of Global English speakers.)

The purpose of GLM’s Word of the Year lists is to provide an on-going account of the 21st century as it unfolds.  This is a Big Data analysis, with the English language as the medium of choice.

Today The Moment represents a larger than life experience, the convergence of, perhaps, fame, fortune, and happenstance representing a time of excellence or conspicuousness.  More importantly, it can be seen as where we now stand in the evolution of the flow of information,” Payack said.

As the definition of ‘the moment’ changes, we can see the shift after the year 2000 by way of Google NGrams

While news professionals were once intimidated by the prospect of a 24-hour News Cycle, with the accompanying ‘Fifteen Minutes of Fame’, the flow of information has increased a thousandfold or more.” Payack continued.  “Now ‘having a moment’ means standing astride the apex, an instant when all stars and light must pass through your gravitational field  (or bend around it). It also has evolved from an instant to an indeterminate length”.

The Moment defines a unique confluence of social and media forces where a person is elevated to a perceived pre-eminent position in their fields, situations, or positions.  For example, Meghan Markle had ‘her moment’ with her royal wedding to Prince Harry earlier this year,” Payack continued.  “Weaponize rose to the top of the US list, signifying the historically bitter level of the political invective, where any word, thought, or phrase is immediately weaponized and, in turn, catapulted back across the partisan divide.   “It has gotten to the point where even the absence of language — absolute silence — can and is being weaponized in the effort to silence the opposition.

Even Emojis have been ‘weaponized’.  Here is the ‘silence’ emoji

Previously, GLM announced that the Global English Word of the Year for 2017 was Truth, while the blood-soaked image of Omran Daqneesh, five-year-old, sitting in an ambulance while awaiting treatment in Allepo, Syria was the WOTY for 2016 (The first time a meme was chosen as a WOTY.)

The Top Words of 2018 for Global English follow:
  1. The Moment — A confluence of fame, fortune, and happenstance (Worldwide).
  2. Weaponize — In today’s bitterly partisan infighting, any word, action, or deed can and will be weaponized (US alone).
  3. Opioids — 60,000 Americans or more will die this year from overdoses:  more than from the entire Vietnam War — every year.
  4. North Korean Nukes — The threat appears to have subsided — for now.
  5. Woke — Being awakened to the causes of social justice
  6. Family Separation — Any number of worldwide challenges to the nuclear family.
  7. Trade War — Mr. Trump vs. the World, again.
  8. Fake News — Analysts are now pushing the origin of fake news backward into the past.  Anyone remember Leni Riefenstahl?
  9. PyeongChang — The Winter Games turned out to be the most politically consequential in decades.
  10. Represent — ‘Showing up’ or ‘representing’ at ‘resistance’ events and activities.
  11. Collusion — Collude’s etymology dates back to the early 1500s and literally means ‘to play together’ with no hint of the sinister undertones in the word’s present incarnation.
  12. ICE — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency under the Department of Homeland Security.
  13. World Cup — The quadrennial, global celebration of football (The 2018 FIFA World Cup, won by France, was the 21st FIFA World Cup.)
  14. Twitter Storm — President Trump early on realized that he had a direct connection to his sixty-million ‘followers’.
  15. Wild Fires — Representing all worldwide natural disasters. 
  16. Migrants (Worldwide) — Citizens have come to understand that national boundaries are quite malleable (for better or for worse). 
  17. Fact Check — By abandoning philosophy and the liberal arts, this generation actually believes that there is only one point of view and a single set of facts.
  18. Volatility — The global markets are volatile, the citizens are restless, and the Singularity is heading our way. 
  19. Resistance — Those who resist and will mince no words in informing you …
  20. Brexit (Soft or Hard Exit) — Nation-states are in a desperate race to save their national identities.

 

Top Phrases 

  1. #MeToo
  2. Shame! Shame! Shame!
  3. Cajun Navy
  4. Make America Great Again
  5. Blue Wave
  6. Breaking the Internet
  7. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
  8. Not My President

 

Top Names of 2018

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Xi Jinping
  3. Pope Francis
  4. M/M George H.W. Bush
  5. Vladimir Putin
  6. Brian Kavanaugh
  7. Elon Musk
  8. Stephen Hawkins
  9. Jack Ma (Ali Baba)
  10. Billy Graham
  11. Nancy Pelosi

 

Methodology:  The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 2.35 billion speakers (January 2018 estimate) GLM employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global Internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the top 300,000 print, and electronic global media, as well as new social media sources as they emerge.

The Top Words, Phrases, and Names of the 21st century follow.

2017:
Top Words: No. 1 Truth, No. 2 Narrative, No. 3, Opioids
Top Phrases:  No 1. Weinstein Effect (and #MeToo), 2. Nuclear Option (North Korean version.),  3. Deep State

Top Names: No. 1 Donald Trump, No. 2 Vladimir Putin, No. 3 Neil Gorsuch

2016:
Top Words: No. 1 Truth, No. 2 Narrative, No. 3, #Resist
Top Phrases: No. 1 Make America Great Again No. 2 When they go low, we go high No. 3 The Electoral College
Top Names: No. 1 Donald Trump, No. 2 Vladimir Putin, No. 3 Neil Gorsuch

2015:
Top Words: No. 1 Microaggression
Top Phrases: No. 1 Migrant Crisis
Top Names: No. 1 Donald J. Trump

2014:
Top Words: No. 1 The Heart ♥ Emoji (for love), No. 2 Hashtag, No. 3 Vape
Top Phrases: No. 1 Hands Up, Don’t Shoot; No. 2 Cosmic Inflation, No. 3 Global Warming
Top Names: No. 1 Ebola, No. 2 Pope Francis, No. 3 World War I

2013:
Top Words: No. 1 ’404’, No.2 Fail, No.3 Hashtag
Top Phrases: No. 1 Toxic Politics, No. 2 Federal Shutdown, No.3 Global Warming/Climate Change
Top Names: No. 1. Pope Francis, No. 2 ObamaCare, No.3 NSA

2012:
Top Words: No. 1 ApocalypseArmageddon, No.2 Deficit, No. 3 Olympiad
Top Phrases: No. 1 Gangnam Style, No. 2 Climate Change/Global Warming, No. 3 Fiscal Cliff
Top Names: No. 1 Newtown and Malala Yousafzai, No. 3 Xi Jinping

2011:
Top Words: No. 1 Occupy, No.2 Fracking, No.3 Drone
Top Phrases: No. 1 Arab Spring, No. 2 Royal Wedding, No.3 Anger and Rage
Top Names: No. 1 Steve Jobs, No. 2 Osama bin-laden and Seal Team Six, No.3 Fukushima

2010:
Top Words: No. 1 Occupy, No.2 Fracking, No.3 Drone
Top Phrases: No. 1 Anger and Rage, No. 2 Climate Change, No. 3 The Great Recession
Top Names: No. 1 Hu Jintao, paramount leader of China, No. 2 iPad, No. 3 Barack Obama

2009:
Top Words: No. 1 Twitter, No. 2 Obama-, No. 3 H1N1
Top Phrases: No. 1 King of Pop, No. 2 Obama-mania, No. 3 Climate Change
Top Names: No. 1 Obama, No. 2 Michael Jackson, No. 3 Mobama

2008:
Top Words: No. 1 Change, No. 2 Bailout, No. 3 Obama-mania
Top Phrases: No. 1 Financial Tsunami, No. 2 Global Warming, No. 3 “Yes, We Can!”
Top Names: No. 1 Barack Obama, No. 2 George W. Bush, No.3 Michael Phelps

2007:
Top Words: No. 1 Hybrid (representing all things green), No. 2: Surge
Top Phrase: Climate Change
Top Name: Al Gore

2006:
Top Word: Sustainable
Top Phrase: Stay the Course
Top Name: Dafur

2005:
Top Words: No. 1, Refugee No. 2: Tsunami No. 3: Katrina
Top Phrase: Outside the Mainstream
Top Name: (acts of ) God

2004:
Top Word: Incivility (for inCivil War)
Top Phrase: Red States/Blue States No. 2: Rush to War
Top Name: Dubya/Rove

2003:
Top Word: Embedded
Top Phrase: Shock and Awe, No. 2: Rush to War
Top Name: Saddam Hussein, No. 2 Dubya

2002:
Top Word: Misunderestimate
Top Phrase: Threat Fatigue
Top Name: W (Dubya)

2001:
Top Word: Ground Zero
Top Phrase: ‘Lets Roll’
Top Name: The Heros

2000:
Top Word: Chad
Top Phrase: Dot.com
Top Name: W (Dubya)

For More Information, go to LanguageMonitor.com or call 1.737.215.7750 or email info@LanguageMonitor.com.

In 2003, The Global Language Monitor (GLM) was founded in Silicon Valley by Paul J.J. Payack on the understanding that new technologies and techniques were necessary for truly understanding the world of Big Data, as it is now known.

Today, from its home in Austin, Texas GLM provides a number of innovative products and services that utilize its ‘algorithmic services’ to help worldwide customers protect, defend and nurture their branded products and entities. Products include ‘brand audits’ to assess the current status, establish baselines, and competitive benchmarks for current intellectual assets and brands, and to defend products against ambush marketing.

These services are currently provided to the Fortune 500, the Higher Education market, high technology firms, the worldwide print, and electronic media, as well as the global fashion industry, among others.

As the AustinWordWrangler, GLM designs and creates websites, and ‘content:’  Public Relations, brand naming, corporate affairs and communications, and technical brochures, data sheets, SEC materials.

 
PJJP

Paul JJ Payack

President & Chief Word Analyst

The Global Language Monitor

Austin, Texas 78717

pauljjpayack@gmail.com Email+1.737.215.7750 Phone

@LanguageMonitor Twitter
@pauljjpayack  Personal Twitter

Metafiction.org

 Creative
 
Tracking Global Trends Through Big-Data Based Global English Analysis
 
 

 

  1. stest Rising

 

 

Intro to “Word of the Year” Phenomenon

Paul JJ Payack’s Brief Intro to the WOTY Phenomenon

Click to Play

 

 

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY   

 

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 

WOTY       W0TY       WOTY       WOTY       WOTY

 

 



Top Words of the Decade (2000-2009)

For the Top Words of the Entire 21st Century, (2000-2020) see below or go here.

For more information on the Top Words for the individual years, go here.

For more information on the Top Words of 2009, go here.

        

“Global Warming,” “9/11″ and “Obama” are Top Words,

“Climate Change” is top phrase,

“Heroes” is top name

Austin, TX November 19, 2009 – The Global Language Monitor has announced the Top Words of the Decade, as part of its annual global survey of the English language. The Top Words were ‘Global Warming’, 9/11, and Obama followed by Bailout, Evacuee, and Derivative; Google, Surge, Chinglish, and Tsunami followed. “Climate Change” was the top phrase, while “Heroes” was the top name; bin-Laden was No. 2.

Looking at the first decade of the 21st century in words is a sober, even somber, event.” said Paul JJ Payack, President of The Global Language Monitor.“For a decade that began with such joy and hope, the words chosen depict a far more complicated and in many ways, tragic time. Nevertheless, signs of hope and renewal can be found in the overall lists.”

The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 1.58 billion speakers. Since GLM’s survey encompassed the years 2000 - 2009, the expanded lists included 25 Top Words, and 20 Top Phrases and 20 Top Names.

Read the the story in the London Telegraph

Read the story in the Vancouver Sun

Each List contains the word, phrase or name in numerical order and the year when the word, phrase or name came to prominence. For example, the word ‘quagmire’ is hundreds of years old but it came into renewed prominence in 2004, about a year after the beginning of the Iraq War.

The Top Words of the Decade from 2000 – 2009

Word (Year) Comments

1. Global Warming (2000) Rated highly from Day One of the decade

2. 9/11 (2001) Another inauspicious start to the decade

3. Obama- (2008 )The US President’s name as a ‘root’ word or ‘word stem’

4. Bailout (2008) The Bank Bailout was but Act One of the crisis

5. Evacuee/refugee (2005) After Katrina, refugees became evacuees

6. Derivative (2007) Financial instrument or analytical tool that engendered the Meltdown

7. Google (2007) Founders misspelled actual word ‘googol’

8. Surge (2007) The strategy that effectively ended the Iraq War

9. Chinglish (2005) The Chinese-English Hybrid language growing larger as Chinese influence expands

10. Tsunami (2004) Southeast Asian Tsunami took 250,000 lives

11. H1N1 (2009) More commonly known as Swine Flu

12. Subprime ( 2007) Subprime mortgages were another bubble to burst

13. dot.com (2000) The Dot.com bubble engendered no lifelines, no bailouts

14. Y2K ( 2000) The Year 2000:  all computers would turn to pumpkins at the strike of midnight

15. Misunderestimate (2002) One of the first and most enduring of Bushisms

16. Chad ( 2000) Those Florida voter punch card fragments that the presidency would turn aupon

17. Twitter (2008 ) A quarter of a billion references on Google

18. WMD (2002) Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction

19. Blog (2003) First called ‘web logs’ which contracted into blogs

20. Texting (2004) Sending 140 character text messages over cell phones

21. Slumdog (2008) Child inhabitants of Mumba’s slums

22. Sustainable (2006) The key to ‘Green’ living where natural resources are never depleted

23. Brokeback (2004)   New term for ‘gay’ from he Hollywood film ‘Brokeback Mountain’

24. Quagmire (2004) Would Iraq War end up like Vietnam, another ‘quagmire’?

25. Truthiness (2006) Steven Colbert’s addition to the language appears to be a keeper

Also worth noting:  ’Embedded’ (2003) to embed reporters with US Troops .

The Top Phrases of the Decade from 2000 – 2009

Word (Year) Comments

1. Climate Change (2000) Green words in every form   dominant the decade

2. Financial Tsunami (2008) One quarter of the world’s wealth vanishes seemingly overnight

3. Ground Zero (2001) Site of 9/11terrorist attack in New York City

4. War on Terror (2001)  Bush administration’s response to 9/11

5. Weapons of Mass Destruction (2003)  Bush’s WMDs never found in Iraq or the Syrian desert

6. Swine Flu (2008) H1N1, please, so as not to offend the pork industry or religious sensitivities!

7. “Let’s Roll!” (2001)  Todd Beamer’s last words before Flight 93 crashed into the PA countryside

8. Red State/Blue State (2004) Republican or Democratic control of states

9. Carbon footprint (2007) How much CO² does an activity produce?

10. Shock-and-awe (2003) Initial strategy of Iraq War

11. Ponzi Scheme (2009) Madoff’s strategy reaped billions & heartache

12. Category Four (2005) Force of Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans’ seawalls and levies

13. King of Pop (2000)  Elvis was the King, MJ the King (of Pop)

14. “Stay the Course” (2004) Dubya’s off-stated guidance for Iraq War

15. “Yes, we can!” (2008)   Obama’s winning campaign slogan

16. “Jai Ho!” (2008)  Shout of joy from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

17. “Out of the Mainstream” (2003) Complaint about any opposition’s political platform

18. Cloud computing (2007)  Using the Internet as a large computational device

19. Threat Fatigue (2004)   One too many terrorist threat alerts

20. Same-sex marriage (2003) Marriage of gay couples

.

The Top Names of the Decade from 2000 – 2009

Name (Year) Comment

1. Heroes (2001)   Emergency responders who rushed into the Towers

2. bin Laden (2001) His Capture still top of mind for US Military

3. Ground Zero (2001) NY Times still will not capitalize the site as a formal name

4. Dubya (2000) George W. Bush, US President No. 43

5. The Clintons (Hillary & Bill) (2000) Looming on political landscape, though not as large

6. John Paul II (2000)   Largest funeral in TV history attested to power

7.Obama(2008) Making an impact as the decade ends

8. Taliban (2000)   Still the source of Afghan insurgency

9. Katrina (2004) Hurricane whose destruction of New Orleans is seared into minds around globe

10. Tiger Woods (2000) Top golfer earned about $1 Billion this decade

11. iPhone (2007)   First product on this list

12. Paul Hewson (Bono) (2000) U2 Front man, NY Times Columnist, catalyst for African relief

13. Michael Jackson (2000) The King of Pop

14. Al Gore (2000) Nobel Prize winner, US Vice President, Climate Change purveyor

15.Saddham Hussein (2000) Iraqi dictator captured while hiding in a ‘spider hole’

16. Enron (2001)   Seems like another era since this giant fell

17. Bollywood (2000)   Mumbai’s answer to Hollywood

18. Facebook (2007) Another ubiquitous software product

19. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005) Iranian president since 2005

20. Vladimir Putin (2000) Russian leader since 2000

Also worth noting:  ’Wikipedia’ (2006) The user-generated compendium of all knowledge .

The analysis was completed on November 16th using GLM’s Predictive Quantities Indicator (PQI), the proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in the media and on the Internet, now including blogs and social media (such as Twitter). The words are tracked in relation to frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets, factoring in long-term trends, short-term changes, momentum and velocity.

About The Global Language Monitor

Austin-Texas-based Global Language Monitor analyzes and catalogues the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.

For more information, call 1.737.215.7750, email info@GlobalLanguageMonitor.com, or visit www.LanguageMonitor.com.

-30-30-30-

 

This is the twentieth consecutive survey since the turn of the century that Global Language Monitor has tracked the Word of the Year.


NEWS PROVIDED BY The Global Language Monitor  Dec 17, 2019, 13:24 ET

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

  •  

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Global Language Monitor, a company that documents, analyzes, and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, has announced that ‘Woke’ is the Top Word of the Year (#WOTY) for 2019. Woke has also dramatically risen in use during the last decade.

Woke, the Top Trending Word of 2019 for Global English thus far has dramatically risen in U.S.  during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram graph.

Woke, the Top Trending Word of 2019 for Global English thus far has dramatically risen in U.S. during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram graph.
“In progressive-based language, ‘woke’ describes an epiphany-like experience, where one is awakened to the call of social justice and the failures of the past,” said Paul JJ Payack, president and chief word analyst of the Global Language Monitor. “Every generation in the Post-Modern era has had similar experiences be they Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, the Women’s Movement, LGBT rights, and beyond. A key distinction here is that the sins of the past are now viewed in the context of the present as subjects to be rectified.” ‘Woke’ traces back through the Old English and is defined as to arise, to come to be, and to be born. It’s from Anglo-Saxon and Old High German ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root ‘weg’ defined as to be strong and to be lively. ‘Woke,’ the Top Word of the Year for Global English has dramatically risen in use in the U.S. during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram. Progress as the Top Un-trending Word In a first, GLM named the Top Un-trending Word (or Decliner) for 2019, which is thus far ‘Progress.’ Payack noted, “The concept of progress has had a profound influence on the advance of Western Civilization since ancient times. The idea of ‘progress’ as espoused in the works of Enlightenment thinkers had considerable influence on the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The word though has significantly fallen especially since the mid-1960s as shown in the Google Ngram. In 2018 there were two distinct Words of the Year (#WOTY): The Moment — A confluence of fame, fortune, and happenstance (Worldwide), and Weaponize — In today’s bitterly partisan infighting, any word, action, or deed can and will be weaponized (U.S. alone). Global Language Monitor began recording the Top Words of the Year in 2000 to document the history of the 21st Century through the English language, the world’s first truly global language. The words are culled throughout the English-speaking world, which as of January 2018 ranks more than 2.58 billion speakers. Global Language Monitor employs its NarrativeTracker technologies for global internet and social media analysis. NarrativeTracker is based on global discourse, providing a real-time, accurate picture about any topic, at any point in time. NarrativeTracker analyzes the internet, blogosphere, and the top 300,000 print and electronic global media as well as new social media sources as they emerge. Global Language Monitor has also provided a list of the Top 20 Trending Words of the Year for 2019 ranked to date, including last year’s ranking (number after the word) and a brief description or commentary of usage.
  1. Woke (5) — An epiphany-like experience, where one is awakened to the call of social justice.
  2. Consequential — Presidents are now judged on the ‘consequentiality’ of their administrations.
  3. Migrants (16) — The continuing worldwide movement of mass migrations.
  4. Opioids (3) — The scourge continues as the nation seems a bit inured to the devastation (more casualties than all deaths in U.S. Wars from WWII to present).
  5. Collusion (11) — The report is filed and final, but the controversies continue.
  6. Anthropocene — Did a new human-influenced geological epoch actually begin in 1950?
  7. Heartbeat — Fetal heartbeat bills are now front-and-center in state legislatures across the nation.
  8. Blue Wave — The Democrats winning back control of Congress in the 2018 Mid-terms.
  9. Family Separation (6) — Family detention and separations actually began in 2014. This is a grave and intractable matter, with plenty of blame to spread around.
  10. Trade War (7) — As we first noted in 2009, “The Rise of China” is a geopolitical event of the first order with the seismic shockwaves continuing to echo around the world.
  11. Fake News (8) — Packaged news, planted sources, one-sided exposes, party lines, and official narratives are a new phenomenon only to those with no sense of history.
  12. Climate Change — 8,000 years ago, New York City was under a mile of ice.
  13. The Moment (1) — A confluence of fame, fortune, and happenstance.
  14. Nukes (4) — Last year North Korea and in 2019 Iran and Russia added to the mix.
  15. Progressives — The word ‘liberal’ outlived its usefulness as the description of one’s political leanings.
  16. Micro-influencers — Bloggers, Vloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers, and other small yet very influential communities of interest.
  17. Fact Check (17) — New studies suggest that fact-checkers appear to have definite biases.
  18. ICE — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security.
  19. Women’s World Cup — The quadrennial, global celebration of women’s football.
  20. Gerrymander — The divvying up the political spoils (election districts) to the advantage of those in power.

Global Language Monitor has also released the Top Trending Words/Phrases of the Year for 2019 related to the call of social justice ranked to date, including last year’s ranking (number after the word) and a brief description or commentary.

  1. Identity Politics — - Tip O’Neill once famously opined that “all politics IS local”; nowadays it this has been updated to “all politics IS Identity”.
  2. They/Them — A variation of He/She.
  3. Fetal Heartbeat — - The center of a movement in many states to prove fetal viability.
  4. Woke — - The Great Awokening, etc.
  5. MeToo — - The #MeToo movement continues to wend itself into global culture.
  6. Cisgender — Those identifying with their assigned birth gender.
  7. Cultural Appropriation — One group, say white, female college students, adopting popular fashion styles of a minority group. (At one time considered a great compliment.)
  8. Intersectionality — According to Oxford, “The interconnected nature of social categorizations creating overlapping systems of discrimination”.
  9. Microaggression — Comments, looks, and gestures that communicate prejudicial slights, often unintentional.
  10. White Privilege — Societal benefits accrued to whites, by benefit of their cultural heritage. (In other cultures privilege often extends to other cultural groups.)
In addition, the Global Language Monitor has also tracked the Top Words, Phrases and Names of the 21st Century. More information about these and the company can be found at Languagemonitor.com. About Global Language Monitor

Based in Austin, Texas, the Global Language Monitor collectively documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language usage worldwide, with a particular emphasis upon the English language. The company is known for its Word of the Year, political analysis, college and university rankings, high-tech buzzwords, and media analytics. For more information, visit Languagemonitor.com.

Media Contact: Paul JJ Payack info@languagemonitor.com Related Images google-ngram-showing-the-rise-of.png Google Ngram showing the rise of “Woke” Woke, the Top Trending Word of 2019 for Global English thus far has dramatically risen in U.S. during the last decade as shown in the Google Ngram graph.

google-ngram-showing-the-decline.png Google Ngram showing the decline of “Progress” Progress, the Top Un-trending Word Decliner for 2019, has significantly fallen, especially since the mid-1960s as shown in the Google Ngram.

SOURCE The Global Language Monitor