WORDS OF THE YEAR FOR 2022

As you read this, look around.  Are you still in bed?  Are there piles of clothes and takeout food boxes strewn across the floor?  Do you have chip crumbs on your sheets?  Have you broken your self-care routine more times than you can count?  Do you not even care?  If so, you might already be in “goblin mode” – chosen by the public as the 2022 Oxford word of the year.  https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/05/world/oxford-word-goblin-mode-2022-intl-scli-wellness/index.html   

The Cambridge Dictionary has revealed its word of the year for 2022 as "homer", saying that it was inspired by the global word game sensation, Wordle.  The word ''homer'' was searched for nearly 75,000 times during the first week of May 2022, when it was an answer in the word game Wordle.  In the context of the game, ''homer'' doesn't refer to the Greek poet and author, or a character from Simpson, but refers to an informal American English word for a 'home run' in baseball.  https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/cambridge-dictionary-reveals-its-word-of-the-year-2022-inspired-by-wordle-3528831   

Gaslighting is defined as:  "the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time."  https://tucson.com/news/national/gaslighting-is-merriam-websters-2022-word-of-the-year/video_404ddebb-00a5-5ad6-bffd-2cabb27e6b9e.html   

The Collins Dictionary's word of the year for 2022 is "permacrisis."  The word, most widely understood as a portmanteau of "permanent" and "crisis," has been in use for a little longer.  In April 2021, policy analysts in Europe saw it as defining the era in which we live.  https://phys.org/news/2022-11-permacrisis-word-year.html 

Top Words of Global English for 2022 by The Global Language Monitor  A list of 37 words rank Denier as #1.  Concept encompasses 'Hater,' 'Cancel Culture,' and the 'Deniers' of an ever-expanding list of facts, fallacies, and beliefs.  https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/599924435/global-language-names-denier-word-of-the-year-2022-for-global-english-words-of-the-pandemic-again-dominate

Journalist and poet Joyce Kilmer was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1886.  Known for poetry that celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, he was killed after enlisting in the United States Army during World War I.  Kilmer was awarded by the French the prestigious Croix de Guerre (War Cross) for his bravery, and a section of National Forest in North Carolina is named after him.  His strong religious faith and dedication to the natural beauty of the world influences much of Kilmer’s work.  “Trees” is unique for its personification of the tree in the poem, and became most popular after his death—in the 1940s and 1950s—even being put to music.  In 1938, the federal government purchased 3,800 acres of old growth forest in North Carolina to stop extensive logging.  The tract of forest was dedicated to the memory and service of Kilmer.  His name has also been given to many streets and schools across the country as well as a park in the Bronx.  https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/joyce-kilmer   

I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree. - (Alfred) Joyce Kilmer, journalist and poet (6 Dec 1886-1918)   

December 6:  Saint Nicholas Day (Western Christianity); Independence Day in Finland (1917)  Wikipedia    

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com   Issue 2601  December 6, 2022