If you had to choose one "word of the year," what would it be? In 2018, Oxford Languages chose
"toxic." In 2019, it chose "climate emergency." This year, lexicographers couldn't select just one. As NPR reports, Oxford decided to highlight dozens of terms that have defined our lexicon this year: "Black Lives Matter," "coronavirus," "social distancing," "systemic racism," and many more.
This hour, our guests discuss how societal events can change and shape language. They talk about which words and phrases will have staying power and why, and which might just fade away. Our guests:
- Linda Sue Park, author
- Amanda Chestnut, artist and educator
- Mark Brummitt, professor of Hebrew bible interpretation at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
- Chris Fanning, director of communications at Writers & Books