Oxford English Dictionary Chooses to Name Multiple Words of 2020 Amid ‘Unprecedented’ Year

MOSCOW, November 23 (Sputnik) – The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has, for the first time, chosen not to name a single word of the year, as the “unprecedented” events that have taken place in 2020 have led to the naming of multiple words of the year, ranging from “coronavirus” to “mail-in.”

The English language had to adapt rapidly and repeatedly this year. Given the phenomenal breadth of language change and development during this year, the Oxford English Dictionary concluded that 2020 was a year which could not be neatly accommodated in one single word, the report read.

The UK-based project said that the emergence of a global pandemic has prompted an uptick in the usage of specialized epidemiological terminology, such as R number.

​”In a short period of time specialist epidemiological and medical vocabulary entered everyday discourse, such as the R number and community transmission,” the report said.

In total, the OED named 16 words or phrases linked to events that have taken place in 2020, including “impeachment” and “mail-in” in light of US domestic politics, “lockdown” and “social distancing” in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, and “Black Lives Matter” and “BIPOC [Black, indigenous, and people of color]” in relation to the US civil rights movement.

Earlier in November, the Collins English Dictionary named “lockdown” its word of 2020.

Sourse: sputniknews.com