Weekend All Things Considered (NPR), “Die-In, Vortex, Selfie Stick: What’s The Word Of 2014?”

December 28, 2014

Interview on NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered about the notable words of 2014. (Dec. 28, 2014)

In January, linguists will gather for the annual meeting of the American Dialect Society in January to vote on the 2014 Word of the Year.

The Oxford Dictionaries already made their 2014 pick, “vape.” But the American Dialect Society holds off until the year is complete. Previous picks include “hashtag,” in 2012, and “because,” in 2013 — an old, common word chosen because it was being used in a new way online (or, as the new construction would have it, “because reasons”).

So what will be the pick this year? Ben Zimmer, language columnist for The Wall Street Journal, will preside over the conference; He talked with NPR’s Arun Rath about some of the contenders. They’re inspired by everything from current events to comedy videos — with a little weather, for good measure.

(Show page, audio, related Word Routes column)

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