Twitter chosen ‘top English word’

November 30, 2009 - 3:10 am | 28 views

Technology.am (Nov 30, 2009) — Twitter, the phenomenon of social networking in just 140 words made admired by Stephen Fry and Sarah Brown has been chosen the top English word this year.

The word was more admired and well-accepted than Obama and H1N1 – the technical name for the most recent Swine Flu strain encompassing the world

Other words to enter widespread currency replicate the global economic crisis for example “stimulus” – the $800 billion aid package meant to assist recover the US economy – and “deficit.”

Of the top 15 words, a additional six are associated to the recession such as “outrage” to indicate feelings generated by bankers bonuses in bailed out companies, “bonus,” “unemployed,” and “foreclosure” when mortgage defaulters are dispossessed.

However amazingly Hadron the short-lived particles subject to collision in the Large Hadron Collider as part of the giant experiment into the origins of the universe has entered the global mind.

The top words and phrases were compiled by Texas-based Global Language Monitor which monitors the internet, the media and an electronic database to calculate approximately how many times definite topics are brought up.

Founder Paul Payack said: “In a year subjugated by world-shaking political actions, a deadly disease, the after effects of a economic tsunami and the death of a respected pop icon, the word Twitter stands above all the other words.

“Twitter represents a latest outline of social interaction, where all contact is abridged to 140 characters. Being restricted to strict formats did wonders for the sonnet and haiku.

The top 15 words were:

1. Twitter

2. Obama

3. H1N1

4. Stimulus

5. Vampire

6. 2.0 – as in suffix attached to the next generation

7. Deficit

8. Hadron

9. Healthcare

10. Transparency

11. Outrage