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Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
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There must be a word for that
Source: Agencies |
July 10, 2009, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
DO you use a sock puppet to secretly keep track of your frenemies?
Plan to spend your staycation watching vlogs and Webisodes? Or perhaps you plan to signal a flash mob for a quick bite of shawarma.
If you're not entirely certain what all that means, turn to the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which has added about 100 new words that largely reflect changing trends in American society.
John Morse, president and publisher of the Springfield-based dictionary publisher in Massachusetts, said many of this year's new words were tied to changes in technology, increasing environmental awareness and aging baby boomers' concerns about their health and had become part of the general lexicon.
"These are not new words in the language, by any means," Morse said. "But when words like 'neuroprotective' and 'cardioprotective' show up in the Collegiate, it's because we've made the judgment that these are not just words used by specialists."
There are words such as locavore (one who eats foods grown locally), frenemy (someone who acts like a friend but is an enemy), waterboarding (an interrogation technique use to induce the sensation of drowning), vlogs (a blog that contains video material) and Webisode (a TV show that can be viewed on the Internet).
There's also flash mob (a group of people summoned electronically to a designated spot to perform an indicated action before dispersing) and green-collar (involving actions for protecting the natural environment).
Some words that just now made the cut have been around for generations.
The term "sock puppet" - a false online identity used for deceptive purposes - was tracked to 1959 but has taken on new popular use with people using fake IDs on social networking sites.
Many words have cross-cultural roots, including shawarma (a sandwich especially of sliced lamb or chicken, vegetables, and often tahini wrapped in pita bread).
Plan to spend your staycation watching vlogs and Webisodes? Or perhaps you plan to signal a flash mob for a quick bite of shawarma.
If you're not entirely certain what all that means, turn to the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which has added about 100 new words that largely reflect changing trends in American society.
John Morse, president and publisher of the Springfield-based dictionary publisher in Massachusetts, said many of this year's new words were tied to changes in technology, increasing environmental awareness and aging baby boomers' concerns about their health and had become part of the general lexicon.
"These are not new words in the language, by any means," Morse said. "But when words like 'neuroprotective' and 'cardioprotective' show up in the Collegiate, it's because we've made the judgment that these are not just words used by specialists."
There are words such as locavore (one who eats foods grown locally), frenemy (someone who acts like a friend but is an enemy), waterboarding (an interrogation technique use to induce the sensation of drowning), vlogs (a blog that contains video material) and Webisode (a TV show that can be viewed on the Internet).
There's also flash mob (a group of people summoned electronically to a designated spot to perform an indicated action before dispersing) and green-collar (involving actions for protecting the natural environment).
Some words that just now made the cut have been around for generations.
The term "sock puppet" - a false online identity used for deceptive purposes - was tracked to 1959 but has taken on new popular use with people using fake IDs on social networking sites.
Many words have cross-cultural roots, including shawarma (a sandwich especially of sliced lamb or chicken, vegetables, and often tahini wrapped in pita bread).
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