Every year the Global Language Monitor does a global survey of the English language. Here are the top words, phrases and names of 2010:
Top words:
1. Spillcam – BP’s camera on the Gulf oil rig’s gusher at 100,000 barrels per day
2. Vuvuzela – brightly colored plastic horns popular at the South African World Cup
3. The Narrative – gaining traction in politics to replace a party’s platform
4. Refudiate – combines “refute” and “repudiate,” accidentally coined by Sarah Palin
5. Guido and Guidette – male and females from The Jersey Shore, MTV’s reality show
6. Deficit – growing and intractable problem for economies
7. Snowmaggedden or Snowpocalypse – record snowfalls in the US and Europe
8. 3-D – three-dimensional films doing big box office used to describe robust products
9. Shellacking – President Obama’s term for Democrats losses in US mid-term elections
10. Simplexity – a paradox of simplifying complex ideas, only to make them confusing
Top names of 2010:
1. President Hu Jintao of China
2. iPad
3. Barack Obama, US President
4. Chilean Coal Miners – the top inspirational story of the year
5. Eyjafjallajoekull – unpronounceable name aka Iceland’s volcanic erupction
6. Nancy Pelosi – deposed Speaker of the US House of Representatives
7. Sarkozy РFrench President Nicolas Paul St̩phane Sark̦zy de Nagy-Bocsa
8. Tea Party – leaderless movement in US politics voicing the angst of the electorate
9. Jersey Shore – the MTV reality show about Italians on “The Shore” of New Jersey
10. David Cameron and Nick Clegg – UK’s new coalition government
Top phrases of 2010
1. Anger and Rage – Characterizations of the US electorate by the pundits, though closer analyses has revealed more frustration and disappointment. Also witnessed in France, Spain and Greece.
2. Climate Change – (and Global Warming) No. 1 Phrase for the first decade of the 21st century; starts out second decade at No. 2.
3. The Great Recession – The media term frequently used to describe the on-going global economic restructuring.
4. Teachable Moment – Turning any undesirable outcome into a positive opportunity by using it as an object lesson. Unfortunately, there were a plethora of teachable moments in the first year of the new decade.
5. Tea Party — An emerging political movement in the US that has upset the balance of power in the US Congress.
6. Ambush Marketing – Cashing in at an event by taking on the appearance of a sponsor of the event. Most obviously displayed at the Vancouver Winter Olympics and South Africa’s World Cup 2010.
7. Lady Gaga — Gaga, herself, became a buzzword in the global entertainment industry in 2010.
8. Man Up – This election cycle’s signature retort from the women running for office to their male opponents.
9. Pass the bill to be able to see what’s in it — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s now infamous quip underlying the complexity of the Healthcare Reform legislation.
10. Obamamania — Notable only in it fall from grace; Obamamania now ranks at the bottom of this year’s political buzzwords.
