What would your word of the year be?
Trump? Sorrow? Eyebrow trend??
2017 has been, at best, a questionable year.
While we did have some decent things happening like Ibrahim Halawa coming home and Beyonce’s Instagram page existing, there were also plenty of shitty things going down like Chester Bennington dying, mass shootings occurring, and some really, really bad weather.
Despite all this though, Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year isn’t all doom and gloom.
In fact, it’s quite positive and could even be considered inspirational.
Their word of the year is: youthquake.
If you (like us) have never heard this word before in your life, never fear, because the guys down at the dictionary have only gone and given us a definition of youthquake.
It is their jobs, after all.
Youthquake is:
“A significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”
… Which makes sense considering there have been many events of note that happened this year thanks to the work of (primarily) young people.
In Ireland, we had the Strike 4 Repeal while across the water in the UK, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party saw an influx of votes that was unprecedented by many.
Similarly, in the States, there were protests against Trump, marches for the rights of trans people, and rallies to support the LGBT community.
President of the Oxford Dictionary, Casper Grathwohl, said that while youthquake may not seem like an obvious choice for many, they felt like it was the right way to go.
“We chose youthquake based on its evidence and linguistic interest. But most importantly for me, at a time when our language is reflecting our deepening unrest and exhausted nerves, it is a rare political word that sounds a hopeful note.
“Sometimes you pick a word as the Word of the Year because you recognise that it has arrived, but other times you pick one that is knocking at the door and you want to help usher it in.
“This past year calls for a word we can all rally behind.
That we can, Casper.
That we can.
