Austin, Texas – The Global Language Monitor has announced that Spillcam is the ‘Top Word’, Anger and Rage the ‘Top Phrase’ and Chinese Leader Hu Jintao the ‘Top Name’ of 2010 in its annual global survey of the English language.
Spillcam was followed by Vuvuzela, the Narrative, Refudiate, and Guido. Deficit, Snowmageddon, 3-D, Shellacking and Simplexity rounded out the Top 10.
The Top Words of the Decade were Global Warming, 9/11, and Obama outdistance Bailout, Evacuee, and Derivative; Google, Surge, Chinglish, and Tsunami followed. Climate Change was top phrase; Heroes was top name.
“Our top words this year come from an environmental disaster, the World Cup, political malapropisms, new senses to ancient words, a booming economic colossus, and a heroic rescue that captivated the world for days on end. This is fitting for a relentlessly growing global language that is being taken up by thousands of new speakers each and every day,” said Paul JJ Payack, President of The Global Language Monitor.
The words are culled from throughout the English-speaking world, which now numbers more than 1.58 billion speakers.
Click here to track 2010’s Most-Used Words, Names and Phrases.
Click here for the Top Words of the Decade (2000-2009).
About the Global Language Monitor
Austin-Texas-based Global Language Monitor analyzes and catalogues the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English. For more information, visit www.languagemonitor.com.
Source: Global Language Monitor Press Release dated November 15, 2010.
