The modern world is closing the curtain on a prosperous decade and opening the chapter of a new one, with a noble heart filled with anticipation humanity can merely expect on what lies ahead in the light of turmoils overshadowing the global scene.
From 2009 to 2019, The political, social, cultural, economic and technological scene went through an unparalleled revolution. Ancient regimes fell down paving the way to a modern area of democracy. These changes have positively impacted the modern linguistic sence with new words emerging due to these considerable turmoils and changes. Words that have come part of people daily life, a one that extends a meaning-filled with political and social background.
Linguistics association gather every year to crown the word that defined the year. The linguists and lexicographers vote on words are based on their supremacy in headlines and extensive use throughout the country.
We will take you into a time machine to explore the words that dominated the last decade:
2009 word of the year:
- Tweetups: a meeting or other gathering organized by means of posts on the social media application Twitter.
- Paywalls: A paywall is a method of restricting access to content via purchase or paid subscription
- Freemiums: Freemiums represent a business model in which a company offers basic features to users at no cost and charges a premium for supplemental or advanced features.
- Bossnapping: Bossnapping is a form of lock-in where employees detain management in the workplace
- Unfriend: remove (someone) from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking website.
- H1N; a new virus first detected in humans in 2009. It spread quickly around the world. In June 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new strain of swine-origin H1N1 as a pandemic
- Tweet: a post made on the social media application Twitter.
- Google it: means that the person is suggesting you go to a computer, tablet, or mobile phone and type in a phrase or keyword into the Google Search engine.
2010 word of the year:
- App: application program for a computer or phone operating system.
- Wikileaks: WikiLeaks is an international non-profit organisation that publishes news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources.
- Trend: to exhibit a burst of online buzz.
- vuvuzela: South African plastic trumpet used by fans during the FIFA World Cup matches.
- hacktivism Using computer hacking skills as a form of political or social activism.
- Pad: Combining form used by iPad and other tablet computers
- Obamacare: a term used for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
- belieber A fan of pop singer Justin Bieber (Bieber + believer)
- Twihard A fan of the “Twilight” books and movies.
2011 word of the year:
- Squeezed middle: The term squeezed middle, though understood in the US, is mainly used in British English and refers to those people who neither fall into the lowest income category, where they might get support from the welfare state nor count among the country’s top earners
- FOMO: anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often stimulated by posts seen on social media.
- Humblebrag: make an ostensibly modest or self-deprecating statement with the actual intention of drawing attention to something of which one is proud.
- Arab Spring – a series of popular uprisings in Middle Eastern countries against dictatorial regimes.
- Degage: the French word “Meaning get out or go away ” was used against Ben Ali
2012 word of the year:
- #hashtag: a word or phrase preceded by a hash symbol (#), used on Twitter to mark a topic or make a commentary
- YOLO: acronym for “You Only Live Once,” often used sarcastically or self-deprecatingly
- Gangnam style: the trendy style of Seoul’s Gangnam district, as used in the Korean pop song of the same name.
- HD: abbreviation for “high-definition,” used for things that could not be high-definition
- big data: large collections of digital information used for revealing behavioural insights.
2013 word of the year:
- Selfie: a photo taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone and shared on social media.
- bitcoin: an anonymous, decentralized, digital, encrypted currency and payment system.
- Shaming: type of public humiliation
2014 word of the year:
- Ebola: a deadly virus that, in 2014, killed thousands in West Africa.
- robocar: a self-driving car.
- selfie stick: a pole to which a smartphone is attached to take selfies from a distance.
- Transition: the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
2015 word of the year:
- mic drop: a definitive end to a discussion after making an impressive point.
- trigger warning: alert for potentially distressing material.
- #JeSuisParis: expression of solidarity after the Paris terror attacks.
- #SayHerName: call to bring attention to violence against women of colour.
- Microaggression: This term for a small comment or action that communicates prejudice or hostility toward a marginalized group joined
- Meme: an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations.
- Dox: The practice of maliciously publishing private information about an individual
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Emoji: a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion.
- Dumpster fire: an exceedingly disastrous or chaotic situation.
- tweetstorm: series of connected tweets about a particular subject, often a passionate rant.
- #OscarsSoWhite: criticism of Academy Award nominees’ lack of diversity.
- Brexit: the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
- Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.
2017 word of the year:
- Fake news: Disinformation or falsehoods presented as real news.
- #MeToo Indication by women that they have experienced sexual harassment or assault.
- take a knee: Kneel in protest, especially during a time when others are standing.
- Blockchain: Technology underlying cryptocurrencies like bitcoin
- Emergency podcast: An audio show prepared at a moment of dire political need
2018 word of the year:
- Single-use‘: a term that describes items whose unchecked proliferation are blamed for damaging the environment and affecting the food chain
- Gaslighting: the action of manipulating someone by psychological means into accepting a false depiction of reality or doubting their own sanity
- Cakeism: The doctrine of having one’s cake and eating it too, particularly regarding the UK’s approach to Brexit negotiations
- Bingeable: having multiple episodes or parts that can be watched in rapid succession: suitable for binge-watching
2019 word of the year:
- Climate emergency: a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.
- #EnaZeda, the Arabic translation of the #MeToo movement,
- Eco-anxiety: Extreme worry about current and future harm to the environment caused by human activity and climate change
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