The Words of 2021

The Brian Lehrer Show | Dec 28, 2021

Ben Zimmer, linguist, a lexicographer, the language columnist for The Wall Street Journal, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, co-host of the Slate podcast ‘Spectacular Vernacular,’ and chair of the American Dialect Society New Words Committee and oversees their word-of-the-year selection process, talks about some of the words with special significance in 2021. Merriam-Webster picked “Vaccine”, Oxford Languages picked “Vax” and dictionary.com went with “Allyship."

What's yours?

@BrianLehrer Insurrection
— Tee (@uforje) December 28, 2021

It's unprecedented that it isn't "unprecedented"
— catolean (@catolean) December 28, 2021

Surreal 🤯
— Annie Gross (@GreasepaintAnni) December 28, 2021

I could do without ‘Bespoke’
— bopper (@bopper_10) December 28, 2021

@BrianLehrer My WOTY "manipulated" - sports outcomes that are impacted by intrusive officiating. Re: 2021 Formula 1 Driving championship.
— Jack Jackson (@jack_jackson) December 28, 2021

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