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'Wikileaks' now a mainstream word
Source: Agencies |
December 23, 2010, Thursday
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IT happened to Xerox and more recently to Google, and now "wikileaks" has joined the list of proper names that are common enough to enter the mainstream English language as their own word.
The Texas-based Global Language Monitor said on Tuesday that the controversial website WikiLeaks, which has released thousands of confidential American government documents, has been referred to often enough that it has met the criteria of reach, depth and breadth to be considered a word in its own right.
"WikiLeaks joins a number of new media and high-technology companies whose names and functions are being incorporated into the language," said Paul JJ Payack, who heads GLM. "These include Google, °?Twitter and the 'friending' function of Facebook."
GLM's research shows the word first appearing in global media in 2006. It has now been cited more than 300 million times. The group's standards include a minimum of 25,000 citations in English-speaking media outlets worldwide.
Payack said that as a word, wikileaks is spelled without the capitalized "W" or "L," but when referring to the website, the spelling remains WikiLeaks. It is similar to when the search engine Google is used as a verb, as in "googled," or searched, for a subject.
His group, which focuses its research on the use of English words in the media, recently said "spillcam," a reference to the camera videotaping oil gushing from the BP oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, was among the top words of 2010.
GLM also predicted "Palinism," a reference to conservative US politician Sarah Palin's mixing up of words such as "refudiate," which combines refute and repudiate, would be a top word for 2011.
In wikileaks, "wiki" is of Hawaiian origin and is typically used to mean "quick" or "fast," according to GLM. The leaks portion of the word reflects the non-profit website's mission to publish confidential, private or classified documents.
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange was recently jailed, and released on bail, in the United Kingdom for possible extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sex crimes. Assange claims that he is part of a US probe into his leaks of documents.
WikiLeaks recently released secret diplomatic cables telling of US dealings with governments around the world, and US Attorney General Eric Holder has said his department is considering using the US Espionage Act to prosecute the release of sensitive information by WikiLeaks.
The Texas-based Global Language Monitor said on Tuesday that the controversial website WikiLeaks, which has released thousands of confidential American government documents, has been referred to often enough that it has met the criteria of reach, depth and breadth to be considered a word in its own right.
"WikiLeaks joins a number of new media and high-technology companies whose names and functions are being incorporated into the language," said Paul JJ Payack, who heads GLM. "These include Google, °?Twitter and the 'friending' function of Facebook."
GLM's research shows the word first appearing in global media in 2006. It has now been cited more than 300 million times. The group's standards include a minimum of 25,000 citations in English-speaking media outlets worldwide.
Payack said that as a word, wikileaks is spelled without the capitalized "W" or "L," but when referring to the website, the spelling remains WikiLeaks. It is similar to when the search engine Google is used as a verb, as in "googled," or searched, for a subject.
His group, which focuses its research on the use of English words in the media, recently said "spillcam," a reference to the camera videotaping oil gushing from the BP oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, was among the top words of 2010.
GLM also predicted "Palinism," a reference to conservative US politician Sarah Palin's mixing up of words such as "refudiate," which combines refute and repudiate, would be a top word for 2011.
In wikileaks, "wiki" is of Hawaiian origin and is typically used to mean "quick" or "fast," according to GLM. The leaks portion of the word reflects the non-profit website's mission to publish confidential, private or classified documents.
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange was recently jailed, and released on bail, in the United Kingdom for possible extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sex crimes. Assange claims that he is part of a US probe into his leaks of documents.
WikiLeaks recently released secret diplomatic cables telling of US dealings with governments around the world, and US Attorney General Eric Holder has said his department is considering using the US Espionage Act to prosecute the release of sensitive information by WikiLeaks.
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