Every year the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) adds new words, here is our pick from 2016 – 10 words that sum up the year’s social developments perfectly, how to pronounce them and what they mean:
non-apology /ˌnɒnəˈpɒlədʒi/
A non-apology, otherwise known as a ‘non-apology apology’, is when you say sorry, but your statement doesn’t seem to actually express sorrow or regret.
You can do this purely with intonation: “I’m so sorry” is remarkably
less convincing than “I’m so sorry”. But the best non-apologies tend to
turn the tables on the listener, for example, “I’m sorry that you were
offended by what I said because you aren’t able to get my humour”.
moobs /ˈmuːbz/
Ostensibly a combination of the word ‘man’ and the word ‘boobs’, in the exact words of Oxford Dictionaries, moobs are: ‘deposits of excess fat on a man’s chest that resemble a woman’s breasts.’ Now, where did I put my ‘mra’ and my ‘mikini’
post-truth /ˌpəʊsˈtruːθ/
If
you regularly push facts into letterboxes, then it’s fair to say you
post truth. But add a hyphen, and you get the adjective ‘post-truth’,
which admittedly sounds the same, but means something very different.
It’s a world in which facts are totally insignificant,
an era that probably began this year in Britain when a pro-Brexit MP
declared that “people in this country have had enough of experts”. Do
you agree? Answers on a postcard, please.
adulting /ˈædʌltɪŋ/
The most sinister sounding new entry this year, it’s when young people engage in mundane activities associated with adulthood
and follows a long trend of nouns becoming verbs in English, even
though this one has become a noun again with ‘-ing’ on it. Examples of
adulting are: getting a job you don’t like; improving your skills in
domestic waste management; being nice to people as a rule not an
exception; and starting a family on purpose, rather than by accident.
uptalk /ˈʌptɔːk/
The
Oxford dictionaries are famously slow at adding new words. But in the
case of uptalk, which appeared 30 years ago, they are really, really
slow. It’s when speakers use a rising tone on just about everything they say. I love it, but some people find it annoying. Oh and it’s sometimes referred to as ‘upspeak’ instead.
gender-fluid /ˌdʒendə ˈfluːɪd/
Unlike
brake fluid, gender-fluid is not a liquid, and is not always found in
cars. The stress goes on both words in the compound – ˌgender-ˈfluid,
it’s an adjective that describes those that feel masculine sometimes, and feminine at others without referring to their sexuality.
YOLO /ˈjəʊləʊ/
Certainly the most annoying new entry this year, this is an acronym for “You Only Live Once”, and has been blamed for all sorts of reckless behaviour, like jumping off balconies and shooting oneself in the head.
coulrophobia /ˌkɒɫrəˈfəʊbiə/
Q Why don’t cannibals eat clowns?
A Because they taste funny.
Well, that’s one possibility, another is that some cannibals suffer from coulrophobia – a fear of clowns. As with all words ending in -phobia, the stress is on the ending ‘ˌcoulroˈphobia’. Its inclusion in the OED coincides with seemingly random sightings of ‘evil clowns’ in innocuous settings everywhere from Australia to Mexico including dozens in the UK, mainly targetted at children. Scary!
A Because they taste funny.
Well, that’s one possibility, another is that some cannibals suffer from coulrophobia – a fear of clowns. As with all words ending in -phobia, the stress is on the ending ‘ˌcoulroˈphobia’. Its inclusion in the OED coincides with seemingly random sightings of ‘evil clowns’ in innocuous settings everywhere from Australia to Mexico including dozens in the UK, mainly targetted at children. Scary!
chatbot /ˈtʃæʔbɒt/
Obviously, being a pronunciation school, we couldn’t resist this – robots who simulate real conversation with humans and collectively develop their conversational skills through Artificial Intelligence.
hygge /ˈhʊgə/
Amidst all the doom and gloom, here is a word to warm the cockles. It’s a Danish concept that describes a general feeling of wellbeing brought about by cosiness and comfort in everyday objects and situations.
The only stressful thing about it, is how on earth should we pronounce
it in English, I mean, what is that spelling? OED reliably informs us we
can go for /ˈhʊgə/ or /ˈhjuːgə/. So now we’ve solved that mystery, it’s
time to light the log fire, pour some coffee, invite the neighbours
round and experience some authentic Hygge, and perhaps a Hug, too.
Adapted from Pronunciation Studio
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