Collins recorded more than a quarter of a million uses of the ‘lockdown’ in 2020 (performance)
London:
The Collins Dictionary said on Tuesday that “lockdown” was its word of the year in 2020 following a dramatic increase in use as Covid-19 spread.
Lexicographers said they chose the word because it has become synonymous with the experience of people around the world as governments seek to stem the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a unifying experience for billions of people around the world, who have had to collectively play their part in the fight against the spread of COVID-19,” said editors Harper Collins.
Collins recorded more than a quarter of a million lockdown uses in 2020, down from just 4,000 the year before.
Because of how the pandemic has affected daily use of the language, six of Collins’ 10 Words of the Year in 2020 relate to the global health crisis.
“Coronavirus”, “social distancing,” “self-isolation” and “leave” as well as “lockdown” and “key worker” were included in the longer list of 10 words of the year.
The “key worker” alone has seen its use multiply by 60, reflecting the importance given this year to occupations considered essential for society.
“2020 has been dominated by the global pandemic,” said Helen Newstead, language consultant at Collins.
“The lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop and socialize.
“With many countries entering a second lockdown, this is not a word of the year to celebrate, but it may be the one that sums up the year for most countries around the world.”
Collins defines “lockdown” as “the imposition of strict restrictions on travel, social interactions and access to public spaces.”
According to the dictionary, the coronavirus is: “Any of a group of RNA-containing viruses that can cause infectious diseases of the respiratory tract, including COVID-19.”
Important social and political developments beyond the virus have also been reflected in the list, which has already made its way into online editions of the English Dictionary.
A wave of Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by the death in police custody by US police of an unarmed black man George Floyd, has spread around the world and brought new awareness to the movement.
The abbreviation “BLM,” often used as a hashtag on social media, has been widely used in conversations and reporting following the protests, recording a 581% increase in use by Collins.
Social networks regularly offer new words for the dictionary.
This year, Collins included “TikToker,” which describes someone sharing content on the TikTok social media platform.
“Mukbang,” which refers to a South Korean trend of video bloggers eating large amounts of food in videos shown to their subscribers, also made the list.
The British royal family influenced the shortlist in 2020.
“Megxit”, which refers to the withdrawal of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan from royal duties, has come into regular use.
The word, modeled on ‘Brexit’, which was Collins’ Word of the Year in 2016, illustrates how firmly the word is now firmly established in the UK lexicon.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
