‘Metaverse’ and ‘goblin mode’ fight it out to be official vernacular in the Oxford Dictionary.
The Oxford English Dictionary, run by the Oxford University Press in England, has released news about its yearly pilgrimage to expand the English language.
Language changes very fast these days — mostly thanks to teenage girls, who cause the most language disruption out of any demographic. But what are all the cool kids saying these days?
Seems like the word nerds need a little bit of help navigating the hip lexicon. So for the very first time ever, Oxford Languages lexicographers are asking people to vote for what should be the word of the year.
While they only give us three choices, like toddlers choosing their socks for the day, there are at least some decent choices to pick from. The ‘words’ — or should we say ‘phrases’ — represent big concepts and ideas from 2022.
The Oxford Languages announcement says, “We wanted to open up the final step of our Word of the Year selection process to the true arbiters of language: people around the world … but for the first time in its history, the 2022 Word of the Year will be chosen by the public.”
Metaverse, Goblin Mode, IStandWith: The Shortlist
Metaverse: Of course, if you have found your way to The Chainsaw then you are probably a fan of the idea of the metaverse and everything it could hold for our collective future.
According to the language boffins at Oxford, “In ‘metaverse’, we see the conceptual future brought into the vernacular in 2022. From hybrid working in VR, to debates over the ethics and feasibility of an entirely online future.”
The term is being used four more times than the previous year.
Goblin Mode: This term is coming in hot. Goblin mode is all about bucking social expectations that are put on us, and doing whateverTF we want.
The reason why this might not hit the winner podium is that the phrase is a bit of a joke. So stop being in goblin mode and vote for metaverse. Please and thank you.
IStandWith: This is an interesting choice and definitely a hot one. As we have seen huge turmoil in Iraq and China, and of course, in Ukraine, it seems like an important phrase.
At the time of writing there were 336,270 votes. There is still one more day to vote, so get clicking!
