So alleges The Language Monitor, which claims results based on a "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."
Okay, then, must be true. I would have put my money on "whatever," but…whatevs.
Here's their top ten list, with their brief comments included:
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
Kit Stolz 