In fact, this movement and the pandemic have had such outsize influences on language that even Oxford Languages, the maker of the Oxford English Dictionary, opted out of selecting their annual single Word of the Year, choosing instead, to highlight multiple terms like “systemic racism,” “lockdown,” and “self-quarantine” to communicate the times we’re living in. A national reckoning with race and racial justice has also contributed significantly to 2020’s lexicon- BIPOC, Karen, and defund (as in “defund the police”) are all words that have emerged as part of our discourse.
“Social distancing was the 25th top English word used this year-it’s scary how prevalent it is.”īut while the pandemic is responsible for many new linguistic patterns this year, it’s wasn’t the only force for change. “The numbers for COVID-related words like social distancing are the largest we’ve ever seen,” Payack tells TIME. Read more: Zoom CEO Eric Yuan is TIME’s 2020 Businessperson of the Year
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