Liz named 2023 Oxford Word of the Year
Liz has been named Word of the Year for 2023 by dictionary publisher Oxford University Press (OUP).
The University of Oxford announced this in a statement on its website after more than 32,000 people voted for the word 'rizz'.
“After over 30,000 language enthusiasts around the world helped us refine our shortlist of eight words, we are proud to announce that rizz is the Oxford Word of the Year for 2023. We are pleased to be able to do so,” the newspaper said.
“This year, we created a shortlist of eight words chosen to reflect the mood, spirit and interests of the past year and invited the public to vote for their favorite word.
“Through head-to-head competition over a four-day voting period, the public narrowed down the shortlist of deserving candidates to four finalists: rizz, swiftie, prompt, and situationship.
“These words were then submitted to language experts who considered corpus data, vote counts, and public commentary on the words to select the definitive Word of the Year for 2023.”
According to Oxford, “Liz” is a colloquial noun and is defined as “style, charm, charm, the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.”
The University of Oxford said in a statement that the term is etymologically thought to be a contraction of the middle part of the word “charismatic”, which is an unusual word formation pattern.
Other examples of this word formation pattern are stated to include “refrigerator” (from “refrigerator”) and “influenza” (from “influenza”).
“Rizz” can also be used as a verb, in phrases such as “to rizz up,” meaning “to attract, seduce, or chatter.”
Oxford also said that such extensions to other parts of speech could indicate that a word is becoming more prominent in the language.
The organization's language experts added that they chose rizz as an interesting example of how language is formed, shaped and shared within a community before it becomes more widely accepted in society.
The University of Oxford said the term speaks to how younger generations have the space to own and define the language they use, whether online or otherwise. .
The dictionary's publisher said that as Gen Z becomes more influential in society, from activism to dating to broader culture, their differences in perspective and lifestyle will be reflected in their language.
Casper Grasswohl, President of Oxford Languages, spoke about this year's campaign and the 2023 Oxford Word of the Year winners, as the public once again takes part in selecting the Word of the Year. He said it was incredible to see him enjoy what he did.
“Seeing thousands of people discussing language like this helps us understand who we are and process what's happening in the world around us. It really highlights the power of language,” Graswohl said.
“It's interesting to see contrasting words like Liz's come to the fore, given that 'Goblin Mode' resonated with so many people post-pandemic last year. Perhaps even more post-pandemic.” Maybe it speaks to the general mood in 2023 of opening yourself up.'' After a challenging few years, I have become more confident in myself.
“Liz is a term that has become popular on social media, and describes how a language that enjoys great popularity and fashion within a particular social community, and in some cases loses popularity and becomes obsolete, can find its way into the mainstream. ing.
“This is a story as old as language itself, but the story of language evolution and expansion that once took years can now take weeks or even months.
“The surge in rizz usage data proves that words and phrases developed from internet culture are increasingly becoming part of everyday language and will continue to shape language trends in the future.”
Source: guardian.ng