21 December 2010
The American Dialect Society is taking nominations. There are number that have already been nominated. I actually find the lists of nominations more interesting than the actual vote. They often include references to events of earlier in the year that have slipped from memory, but once recalled remind us how they dominated the news.
Ben Zimmer’s list includes: cablegate, mama grizzly, vuvuzela, backscatter, and freedom pat.
Grant Barrett’s list includes: junk shot, porno scanner, and belieber.
Wayne Glowka’s list includes: refudiate, wiki-leaker, and spillion.
Nancy Friedman’s list includes: cannabiz, hashtag, and man up.
And Joe Clark has contributed a number of Canadian nominations, including: G20 (a big news item here this year), busty hookers, and vampire squid.
