[PW] Oehlert in Frankfurt (1913)?

[Barnhart]

Dear Librarians,

It's been a couple of years since I last polled you Wombats about the Word
of the Year (aka WOTY).  I have my nominations listed here.  If you'd like
to add any for consideration at the upcoming meeting of the American
Dialect Society, I would be delighted to pass them along for
consideration.  Any thoughts on my nominations would be much appreciated.

Regards,
David K. Barnhart, Editor/Publisher
The Barnhart DICTIONARY COMPANION

barnhart at highlands.com
www.LexikHouse.com

2007 WORDS OF THE YEAR
TO BE CHOSEN BY AMERICAN DIALECT SOCIETY
.

Hyde Park, NY, December 23, 2007----Each year in January the American
Dialect Society convenes the New Words Committee in order to nominate and
examine candidates for Words of the Year.  Hudson Valley lexicographer and
neologist, David K. Barnhart, will present his list of candidates for
consideration at next month's meeting in Chicago.

"Some words fly, others die" according to Harry Homa, retired English
teacher in the New York City public school system.  Only time will prove
which are useful and which are mere fanciful stunt words.  David K.
Barnhart has been collecting new words and meanings as well as other
changes in usage for over 40 years.  Since 1982 he has been editing and
publishing The Barnhart DICTIONARY COMPANION-a quarterly of new words and
meanings.  As a member of the American Dialect Society committee on new
words, he has witnessed the birth and demise of hundreds of words.  "Those
words that don't serve some social need will surely perish," Barnhart
observes.

This year's crop of concoctions includes some brand-spanking new terms,
some revivals, and several stunt words (just for the fun of it).  Some are
slang, some technical and some from everyday vocabulary.

Barnhart's WOTY candidates: 

by-stander effect
disconnect for responsibility among a crowd of on-lookers 

breeder document
driver's license, birth certificate, or similar document used as proof of
identity used in acquiring another I.D.

CFL (for compact fluorescent light bulb)
an energy-efficient fluorescent bulb for use in a normal lamp socket

chipmunking
resembling the feeding posture of a chipmunk, especially when one is using
a Blackberry or similarly small electronic device

congestion fee (old but of recent importance)
tax for using an auto, truck, boat, etc., in an area of congested traffic

cringe reading
the reading aloud to a group from one's unedited private diary

crowd sourcing
using the Internet as a broad-ranged source of information

cut and walk
to stop doing something and leave, albeit without haste

dwell time (for large number [12] of meanings unrecorded in dictionaries)
(most recently) the period of time someone spends away from the battle
field

e-mailitis
excessive dependence upon e-mail communications

evo-devo
evolution with a focus upon development in a species

Facebook, v
to examine the profile of someone on the Facebook Web site

format-agnostic
able to play a variety of electronically formulated platforms

geofencing
electronic barrier defining a geographic area, used in monitoring movement
of people

Green Monday
the second Monday of December when eBay experiences the beginning of
holiday shopping on-line

Green Tuesday 
the Tuesday following Thanksgiving when environmentally-friendly holiday
shopping begins

mash-up
an interview on-line that allows the viewer to pick and choose what
questions and answers to view

MRSA [for methicillin-resistant Staph(ylococcus) aureus] (1979)
a very robust bacterium resistant to antibiotics, sometimes fatal

no-e-mail Friday
Friday set aside as a day when people refrain from using electronic mail

no-match letter 
a written letter sent by a government agency to an employer indicating
that an employee is an undocumented alien

Oprah effect (another oldie but goodie)
the impact of the opinion of Oprah Winfrey, most recently upon the
candidacy of a politician

parkour [<French]
the practice of leaping from building to building

quorum sensing
the ability of a mass of bacteria to begin some action

Waldo: play Waldo or place where's Waldo
to challenge someone for not being where they should be or doing what they
should do, especially when used by a politician criticizing another

Zumba
group fitness based upon rumba dancing


Examples of WOTYs from recent ADS deliberations include: 2006:to be
plutoed; 2005: truthiness; and 2004: red state/blue state.  Final
nominations will be presented in January at the annual meeting, followed
the next day be designation of the Word of the Year for 2007.  

For more information, call 914-850-8484 or e-mail Barnhart at highlands.com
or consult the Web site <www..LexikHouse.com>



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