English is a colorful language coated with metaphorical expressions, coined phrases and sometimes made up or borrowed words. With over 1,000 new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary every year, one may begin to wonder, how are words created?
Brand names as generic terms
Sometimes, successful marketing and branding campaigns have turned the brand name of their product into a generic term, taking the place of the common noun. For example, in many places in the United States, people will likely refer to a tissue as a Kleenex, which is a brand name for a paper-based company in Wisconsin introduced in the 1920s. In the southern states of the U.S., any soft drink is called a Coke and a slow-cooker is a Crock-Pot.
The influence of foreign languages and social media
According to English lexicographers, new words are either adopted from other languages like, fiancé from French, wanderlust from German and cookie from Dutch or they are blended words from existing words like infographic and breadcrumbs. Simply changing the function of a word is also considered a new word. For example, the word friend is not just a noun anymore, it now functions as a verb since the introduction of Facebook.
Today, social media and e-publications are mostly responsible for the rapid popularity of new words landing a spot in the English dictionary. In business, some of these terms would not be considered proper meeting language as they are informal slang expressions.
These 10 words were recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2019:
- Binge Watch (v): the act of watching multiple episodes of a T.V. program in an uninterrupted, rapid succession.
- Bromance (n): a close, platonic but non-sexual relationship between two men.
- Guyliner (n): eyeliner that is worn by men.
- Infomania (n): the compulsive desire to check or accumulate news and information, typically via phone or computer.
- Locavore (n): a person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown food.
- Muggle (n): a person who is not knowledgeable about a particular activity or skill.
- Screenager (n): a person in their teens or twenties who has an aptitude for computers and the internet.
- Goldilocks (adj): an astronomers’ description of a planet that isn’t too hot or cold and supports life.
- Purple State (n): geographical areas in the United States where voters are split between Democrats and Republicans.
- Gig Economy (adj): economic activity that involves the use of temporary or freelance workers to perform jobs typically in the service sector.
Written by English language trainer Michelle Runyon
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