The Oxford Dictionary word for 2023 is ‘rizz’. Attractive and elegant with a great cool quotient, ‘rez’ is derived from ‘charisma’. It refers to a person’s ability to attract a romantic partner through “style, charm, or attractiveness.” This speech received more than 32 thousand votes from the public. Oxford explains that the word can also be used as a verb, as in “rizz up,” meaning to attract or chat with someone.
Rees got me thinking about the evolving nature of language. Language fascinates me not only because I use words strategically in my profession as a lawyer, but because the uses and developments of language tell us what humans are thinking, what we prioritize—our fears, our hopes, our joys, our sorrows. Different demographics even use the same language to create a variety of meanings. From here languages develop.
You may ask what is language? “Language is an organized system of communication consisting of grammar and vocabulary.” It is the primary means through which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and written forms. This can also be conveyed through sign language.
Let’s go back to the Oxford Word of the Year list. This year, the other finalists were “fast,” where instructions were given to an artificial intelligence program that influences the content it creates; “Situation,” which is a romantic partnership that is not considered formal or established; And “Swiftie,” the name given to an ardent fan of singer Taylor Swift. Perhaps having become isolated and hidden as a species during the pandemic, many humans are now considering whether they can attract a partner once they return to the outside world.
In 2022, Oxford’s word of the year is ‘goblin mode’, a slang term meaning ‘unjustified laziness and in a way that rejects social norms’. The process of choosing the Word of the Year is a fascinating one. Every year, Oxford University Press (OUP), which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, has a long list of 30 to 40 words. This list is then reduced to three words. For the first time, last year, Oxford allowed people from around the world to vote from a final list of three words. Voters chose “Goblin Mode.” It is used as “in sprite mode” or “to go into sprite mode”. In 2021, it was the word “vax” that highlighted the medical breakthroughs represented by vaccines that could free our species from the pandemic.
Clearly, the choice of the word of the year tells us something about what the human race is experiencing or arousing in that year.
It stands to reason that in 2021, we should have “vaccine” on our minds, as the rollout of vaccines has promised to liberate us from social isolation and the devastation of Covid-19. In 2022, with many emerging from the isolation of the pandemic and cut off from regular social interaction with other members of the gender Human, some were in “goblin mode” and would take time to rejoin the demands of a highly social and feverishly productive society. Human species. It may take some time for many to ditch the pajamas and sweatpants, the everyday fashion wear of the pandemic era, and return to the formal work space.
You may wonder how the word of the year is chosen? Is there a short list or a long list? As Chitra Ramaswamy explains in The Guardian, the Oxford English Dictionary has a 15-member team of word researchers “who spend their days analyzing databases and tracking groups of words called ‘clusters’” to see which new words are becoming popular. While the group also judges reader requests for inclusion, Ramaswamy wrote, they spend most of their time studying large electronic text databases for words that are appearing more and more in common use.
This made me think about researchers who spend their time tracking down words. Who are these seekers of the Word? Is this even an occupation? Molly Pennington wrote in Reader’s Digest that “lexicographers” have to decide which words can be included in the dictionary, and they do so by reading widely across industries and disciplines. Lexicographer Corey Stamper describes the dictionary as “a human document, continually compiled. Verified and updated by…
Real, live, embarrassing people.”
Not only is there a search for the word of the year, there is also a search for new words. Many popular dictionaries, with their teams of diligent lexicographers, search for new words to add. For example, in April of this year, Merriam-Webster added new words related to the time when there was the Covid pandemic. The new additions included words such as “self-isolation,” “non-contact,” and “forehead thermometer,” as well as abbreviations such as WFH (work from home) and PPE (personal protective equipment).
Different dictionaries have varied words over the years that reflect the preferences of general voters or specialist lexicographers. How the Word of the Year is chosen depends on the process set by the publisher. For example, the top word on Dictionary.com for 2022 was “woman.” Merriam-Webster’s word for 2022 after an online poll was “gaslighting” and for 2023 it is “authentic.” The Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year for 2023 is ‘hallucination’.
The word “rizz” gained currency when it was used by the star of the latest Spider-Man film, Tom Holland, who was asked about his “rizz secret.” Holland famously replied, “I have no talent at all,” which led another Hollywood star, George Clooney, to say that “those who say they have no talent at all are the ones who do.” In this sense, dear reader, I wish you many “Res” and leave you with an idea: What is your word for the year 2023, the word that defines the year for you or was your top priority?
The writer is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court