>> WITH THE NEW YEAR NIGH, THERE ARE LOTS OF TOP 10 LISTS TO
REVIEW.
AMONG THOSE IS MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S 10 MOST
LOOKED-UP WORDS IN ITS ONLINE DICTIONARY.
AND THE PERSONAL PRONOUN THEY'VE CAME OUT ON TOP.
I ASKED PETER SOKOLOWSKI, MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S EDITOR AT
LARGE AND A HOST AT OUR SISTER STATION NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC
RADIO, IF HE WAS SURPRISED THAT WORD MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE
LIST.
HERE'S WHAT HE SAID.
>> I WAS.
ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE IT'S A BASIC WORD.
IT'S LIKE A BUILDING BLOCK OF THE LANGUAGE THIS PRONOUN.
IT'S A PERSONAL PRONOUN.
LIKE THE WORDS IN OUR LOOKUP DATA HAVE TO DO WITH NEWS, AND,
FOR EXAMPLE, A GOOD EXAMPLE IS AFTER THE GREAT RECESSION IN
2008 THE WORD WAS BAILOUT.
IT WAS THE WORD, IT WAS THE HEADLINE.
IT WAS THE WORD THAT NEWSMAKERS WERE USING AND IF YOU FOLLOW
LIKE I DO EVERY DAY, ALMOST EVERY HOUR, THE TRENDS OF
LOOKUP.
WE HAVE 100 MILLION PAGES ONLINE AT MERRIAM WEBSTER.COM PLUS 2
BILLION LOOKUPS ON THE APP SO THERE'S A LOT OF DICTIONARY USE
THAT WE'RE THRILLED ABOUT THAT WE CAN FOLLOW AND WE CAN
ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE NEWS ACCORDING TO WHAT WORDS ARE
BEING LOOKED UP AND THIS IS A WORD THAT WASN'T IN THE NEWS
THAT OFTEN AND WASN'T A WORD THAT WAS IN THE SORT OF HEADLINE
STORIES BUT IT WAS A WORD THAT ROSE YEAR-TO-YEAR, 300%, SO 3
TIMES IN 2019 FROM WHAT IT WAS IN 2018 AND I THINK THE REASON
IS BECAUSE OF ITS INSTABILITY, AND IF A PRONOUN HAS A NEW
DEFINITION I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS.
>> WHICH MERRIAM WEBSTER.COM DID ADD A NEW VERSION OR A NEW
DEFINITION OF THE WORD IN OCTOBER.
>> THAT'S ALMOST A COINCIDENCE AND WE LOOKED FROM JANUARY TO
THAT MOMENT TO SEE WHAT KIND OF TRAFFIC THIS WORD WAS GETTING
BECAUSE AFTER IT, IT GOT AN NORMS AMOUNT OF THE ATTENTION
AND WE DECIDED TO DISCOUNT THAT PART OF THE DATA AND EVEN YET
EVEN GIVEN ANOTHER WORD THAT WAS HIGHLY LOOKED UP QUID PRO QUO
BUT IF WE ONLY CONSIDERED THE FINAL QUARTER OF THE YEAR TO BE
THE FULL DATA THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TOP WORD BUT ACTUALLY
"THEY" WAS IN RAW NUMBERS MUCH HIGHER.
>> IN TERMS OF ADDING A NEW VERSION, A NEW DEFINITION OF A
WORD TO THE DICTIONARY, WHAT TYPE OF DISCUSSION GOES ON AT
MERRIAM WEBSTER.
I'M SURE IT'S A LIVELY DEBATE.
>> ACTUALLY IT ISN'T IN A CERTAIN KIND OF WAY BECAUSE WE
ONLY PUT A NEW DEFINITION OR A NEW WORD INTO THE DICTIONARY
ONCE IT'S WELL ESTABLISHED.
THE FACT IS THERE ARE NO COMMITTEE OR ARGUMENTS BUT THERE
IS SOMETHING LIKE -- ALMOST LIKE A CONVEYOR BELT.
WE'RE WATCHING THIS USAGE LIKE THIS NONBINARY THEY.
IT GOES BACK FROM 2005 AND IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE BUT WITH
ALL NEW THINGS IT GROWS AT ITS OWN PACE.
SOME WORDS COME VERY QUICKLY INTO THE LANGUAGE AND SOME NEW
WORDS COME MORE SLOWLY SO THIS ONE WE'VE BEEN WATCHING FOR
YEARS AND FINALLY DECIDED IT WAS SORT OF IN THE PUBLISHED
EVIDENCE OF THE WORD THAT WE HAD FOUND ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO ADD IT
TO THE DICTIONARY.
THE ONLY CRITERION THAT REALLY MATTERS IS EVIDENCE SO WE WANT
TO SEE LOTS OF PEOPLE AND LOTS OF PUBLICATIONS USING THIS WORD
FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
>> YOU SAID SOMETHING ON YOUR TWITTER FEED THAT I WANT TO READ
HERE AND YOU SAID MOST ENGLISH SPEAKERS ACCEPT THE FACT THAT
THE LANGUAGE CHANGES OVER TIME BUT DON'T ACCEPT THE CHANGES
MADE IN THEIR OWN TIME.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
>> WELL, I THINK -- I THINK IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT POINT.
I THINK THAT LANGUAGE IS A HABIT AND IT'S A HABIT THAT WE ACQUIRE
AS CHILDREN, OF COURSE, IF WE'RE NAVE SPEAKERS GROWING UP IN A
HOME IN A HOUSEHOLD THAT SPEAKS ENGLISH AND SO THE AND THE
HABITS BACK OUR ACCENT AND THE PARTICULAR WORDS THAT WE USE
DAY-TO-DAY AND THE, ANYTHING THAT'S NEW OR NOVEL THAT STRIKES
US AS INCORRECT OR BEING WRONG BUT THINK HOW SUBTLE SOME OF
THESE CHALLENGES ARE.
THE NEW DEFINITIONS OR THE NEW-ER DEFINITIONS LIKE MOUSE,
BROWSE, OR COOKIE WE HAVE NO PROBLEMS OF THOSE.
BUT 25 YEARS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL I USED THE WORD ACCESS AS A VERB
TO ACCESS SOMETHING.
AT THAT TIME IT WAS CORRECTED AND THE EDITOR WROTE IN THE
MARGIN THIS IS COMPUTER JARGON.
YOU HAVE TO SAY TO HAVE ACCESS OR GAIN ACCESS.
YOU CAN'T SAY TO ACCESS.
TODAY WE SAY ACCESS AS A VERB ALL THE TIME FOR US.
A FAMILIARITY IS THE KEY.
THAT THE FREQUENCY OF USAGE IS WHAT MAKES IT COMFORTABLE FOR
ALL OF US.
IN THIS CASE WITH EVERY OTHER NEW WORD OR NEW USAGE WE NEED TO
HEAR IT FREQUENTLY BEFORE IT BECOMES MORE ACCEPTABLE.
>> WHEN YOU MAKE A CHANGE AND ADD A DICTIONARY DO YOU GET
PUSH-BACK?
>> SURE, I DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO ALL OF THAT.
THE PROCESS IS SORT OF MECHANICAL.
WE HAVE 3 OR 4 RELEASES OF NEW WORDS EVERY YEAR BECAUSE WE WORK
ALL DAY EVERY DAY ON WRITING DEFINITIONS, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT
REVISION ADDICTION GUISE WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENCY OF THE
DICTIONARY SO WE'RE BUSY AT WORK WITH THAT.
I DON'T PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THE RESPONSES.
MANY PEOPLE FEEL VALIDATED AND THEY THINK, OH, THIS IS
TERRIFIC.
I ALWAYS USED THIS WORD AND I LOVE THIS AND I LOVE SEEING THIS
WORD.
SOME PEOPLE OBJECT TO THESE CHANGES AND THEY'RE STICKLERS
AND THEY THINK WELL, YOU KNOW, MY ENGLISH TEACHER WOULD HAVE
SAID THIS WAS WRONG.
THAT'S OKAY.
IF YOU HAVE STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE, THAT MEANS THAT
YOU CARE AND I THINK THE THING ABOUT ENGLISH IS THAT IT'S
ALWAYS GROWING AND IT'S VERY ELASTIC.
IT'S ALWAYS CHANGING AND I THINK WE HAVE TO KIND OF STEP BACK AND
LOOK AT LANGUAGE AS AN ORGANIC THING, THAT LANGUAGES CERTAINLY
DO FOLLOW RULES BUT THEY DON'T FOLLOW ORDERS.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT YOU SAY IT'S ELASTIC BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE
MY SEVENTH GRADE ENGLISH TEACHER WHO WOULD QUICKLY WITH THAT.
>> YOU KNOW I MEET TEACHERS WHO GO BY THE RULES AND OFTEN THERE
ARE RULES THAT ARE IMPOSED ON A LANGUAGE THAT AREN'T ORGANIC TO
THE LANGUAGE.
A GOOD EXAMPLE IS WHAT WOULD PEOPLE CALL THE SPLIT INFINITY,
YOU KNOW, TO BODILY GO WHERE -- NO ONE COMPLAINED UNTIL IT WAS A
THING UNTIL A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND THE LANGUAGE IS 1,000 YEARS
OLD.
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE LANGUAGE AND SOMEONE DECIDED FOR
STYLISTIC REASONS PREFERABLE NOT TO DO THAT BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN
IT'S NOT ORGANIC TO THE LANGUAGE AND FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE AS
DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTS WE DESCRIBE THE LANGUAGE THAT WE
SEE, IT IS GRAMMATICAL.
>> HMMM?
LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHERS.
>> SURE.
>> THE WORDS IN REVIEW KIND OF REMIND ME IN A YEAR OF REVIEW
AND THERE'S SOME NEWS IMPEACH, QUID PRO QUO, EXCULPATE, AND
SNITTY, AND SNITTY REALLY JUMPED OUT FOR ME WHEN I LOOKED AT THAT
WORD AS I WAS COMING OUT THE SYNONYMS ARE NOT AS INTERESTING
AS SNITTY YOU GET WHAT THE DEFINITION IS.
>> THAT WAS USE BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR.
>> RIGHT.
>> IN RESPONSE TO ROBERT MUELLER'S REACTION TO BARR'S
SUMMARY OF MUELLER'S REPORT SO THE MUELLER'S REPORT WAS VERY
LONG AND BARR'S SUMMARY WAS VERY SHORT AND IT DIDN'T GIVE CREDIT
TO ALL THOSE IDEAS IN THE REPORT AND ROBERT MUELLER SAID TO
REDUCE IT INTO A VERY SIMPLE MEMO BASICALLY AND THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL SAID HE WAS BEING SNITTY BECAUSE IT'S SUCH AN INFORMAL
WORD AND A LOT OF PEOPLE GO TO THE DICTIONARY TO CHECK IT OUT.
IS THAT IN THE DICTIONARY AND IS THAT REALLY A WORD AND, OF
COURSE, IT'S A WORD.
IF WE SAY IT, IT'S A WORD BUT TURNS OUT IT IS IN THE
DICTIONARY.
THE MADE THE LIST.
IN TERMS OF THE WAY THAT IT WAS USED BECAUSE THE WAY IT WOULD BE
PRONOUNCED IN THIS CONTEXT WOULD BE THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AND
THAT JUMPED OUT BECAUSE EMPHASIS IS VERY IMPORTANT; RIGHT?
>> WITH OUR ARTICLES WITH THE DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE
ARTICLES, THE, A AND THE PRONUNCIATION HAS TO DO WITH
EMPHASIS AND IT HAS TO DO WITH FONETTICS BECAUSE IF YOU SAY A
WORD THAT BEGINS WITH A VOWEL, THE VOWEL, YOU'LL LOSE THE QUITE
NORMALLY.
OFTEN YOU WILL SAY THE IF YOU SAY THE INITIAL VOWEL BECAUSE
THE FIRST LETTER OF THE NEXT WORD IS A VOWEL SO PRONUNCIATION
CAN HAVE TO DO WITH FONETTICS OR EMPHASIS IN THIS CASE BUT WHAT'S
INTERESTING IT WAS A LEGAL CASE THAT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
TRIED TO TAKE A PATENT OUT ON THE WORD "THE" OR "THE" WHICH IS
RIDICULOUS IN THE SAME WAY BECAUSE THEY IDENTIFIED THEM AS
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AND THEY MAKE SOME PLAY WITH THAT
WITH THEIR T-SHIRTS AND LOGOS.
>> THEY SAY THE NAME -- >> AND THEY WERE DENIED THAT
REQUEST.
BUT IT IS INTERESTING AN POINT THAT WORDS IN TRADEMARKS WHEN
THEY BECOME VERY COMMON IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, A WORD LIKE
ESCALATOR OR DUMPSTER OR Q-TIP WE PUT THEM IN THE DICTIONARY
BUT WE HAVE TO LABEL THEM AS TRADEMARKS BECAUSE ONLY THE
TRADEMARK HOLDER CAN ACTUALLY DEFINE WHAT THEY MEAN.
THE DICTIONARY CAN SAY USED FOR A COTTON SWAB OR USED FOR A
PAPER TISSUE FOR KLEENEX.
WE IDENTIFY THAT AS A COMMON GENERIC WORD AND WE CAN'T DEFINE
THAT BECAUSE ONLY THE OWNER OF THE TRADEMARK.
>> GOOGLE HAS BEEN A SHORTHAND FOR SURGING UP SOMETHING ON THE
INTERNET?
>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT BECAUSE IN THAT CASE IT'S A VERB TO
GOOGLE SOMETHING AND THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE THE OWNER OF THE
COPYRIGHT ONLY OWNS THE NAME, NOUN AND XEROX AND FINE, THEY'RE
FINE.