Just utterly carparked 🚗, Taylor Swift is knee-deep in linguistics 🎤, plenty of trendbait in this one 😎
Welcome to the latest instalment of English in Progress, the newsletter that keeps you updated on the English language. Fresh in your inbox once a month.
My name is Heddwen Newton. I am a translator and English teacher. I love discovering all the ways English is spoken, the ways in which it is used by different generations and by people from all over the world. I own the website EnglishinProgress.net, and I also write a newsletter about English for Dutch speakers.
Best of the month
British people can add -ed to any word and turn it into a drunkonym
I was utterly gazeboed, just totally carparked. I was wallpapered out of my mind last night, in fact, I got so oreganoed that I ended up vomiting on a policeman. (These are examples, not excerpts from my life, just to be clear.) They’ve done an actual study into this.
On the internet, new words are invented for clout and attention
Vox-correspondent Rebecca Jennings is so tired of TikTokers and journalists inventing new, trendy terms in the hope of getting attention and/or a viral hit, that she has invented a new, trendy term for the phenomenon: trendbait.
Can we know which neologisms have staying power?
The New York Times’ Sam Corbin writes an answer of sorts to the above. We learn that “noun piles” (compound phrases like mob wife aesthetic, bookshelf wealth, goblin mode) have been around for centuries, and that when it comes to neologisms, the fun stuff doesn’t last — the boring stuff does. (And that “fetch” is never going to happen.)
Marriage language explained
How come married couples sometimes develop their own cutesy words for things, like “show show” for “shower”? An actual linguist gets asked for input (hurrah!)
It is permissible in English for a preposition to be what you end a sentence with.
It really is.
Gen Zalpha slang
Slang used by mostly Gen Z (born 1996 to 2010, more or less) and sometimes Gen Alpha (born 2010 to 2024). Click on the word to see where I got it from.
75 cosy challenge - a variant of the “75 hard challenge”, a rigorous 75-day regiment of self-improvement. During “75 cozy,” you just relax for 75 days (not (yet) on Urban Dictionary)
boy mom - specific kind of parent who is perceived as being overly fixated on their male children, often to the detriment of other female children or people in their lives (on Urban Dictionary with this definition since 2021)
chad cut - flippy hairstyle for boys reminiscent of the style popular in the 2000s (not (yet) on Urban Dictionary)
to gas a person up - to inflate a person’s ego, give them compliments, lift them up when they feel down (on Urban Dictionary since 2013)
hard launch - a sudden and purposeful announcement of a romantic relationship on social media (on Urban Dictionary since 2023)
iPad kid - Gen Alpha children that get too much screen time and do not develop social skills (on Urban Dictionary since 2021)
to mew - a.k.a. “mewing”; to do an exercise with your mouth that is said to define your jawline; as the mouth must remain closed, this is also an excellent reason to not have to answer the question an adult just asked you (on Urban Dictionary with this definition since 2019, though invented in the 1970s, apparently)
moots – short for mutual connections; when you follow someone on social media and they follow you back (on Urban Dictionary with this definition since 2019)
soft launch - a subtle inclusion of the person you're dating into your online presence without fully revealing who it is (on Urban Dictionary with this definition since 2021)
sus - short for suspicious, #1 Gen Z slang word for 2023 according to this article (Most Urban Dictionary definitions from 2020; oldest definition 2009)
simp - person (often a male) who is seen as doing too much to get the attention of another person (often female). Probably from “simpleton”. (Most Urban Dictionary definitions from 2020; oldest definition 2004)
W in the chat - said when someone just did something worthy of praise. W stands for win. From livestreaming culture, when the streamer will say this when someone in the chat says/does something cool. Now also used in real life. (Not yet on Urban Dictionary)
Accents
Scientists isolated in Antarctica develop their own accent
This research has been covered in this newsletter before, but this BBC article is a treat. “Among those staying at Rothera that winter were a couple of Americans, an Icelandic mechanic, a few Germans, some Scots and a Welsh speaker. (…) Harrington and his colleagues used computational models to predict how this melting pot of winterers might influence one another. (…) Their prediction was unerringly accurate, even if it did exaggerate the effects compared to what happened in real life.”
Brits with posh accents say they dislike them, but forget about the privilege
Journalist Katie Rosseinsky names a few Brits who hate their posh accents, but stresses that this kind of accent still opens doors that remain shut for people with a mild Scouse (= Liverpool) accent like her.
Linguist Mark Liberman has a sensible take on TikTok voice
Uptalk and vocal fry, the main characteristics of TikTok voice, TikTalk or influencer accent, whatever you want to call it, have been around a long time. “My guess is that the whole idea came from [the original journalist], who just pulled a few sensible quotations from [an academic] to shore up a click-bait-y article on "female influencers and celebrities". And it worked.”
UK prime minister is perfect example of how UK society’s attitude to accents is all mixed up
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak was given extra drama lessons so he could learn a prestige accent. (Which the family considered to be “no accent”.) Linguist Rob Drummond makes the point that parents encouraging their children to speak in ways that erase their background are not to blame. What is to blame is a society that makes this kind of accent necessary for people to succeed.
YouTube: Geoff Lindsey on “intrusive r”
UK English has a thing called intrusive r, or linking r, (“the idea[r]of it”) which Americans don’t have. Like lots of Geoff’s videos, I find I never cared about these small details of people’s accents until I see a video of his with dozens of fascinating examples and intriguing asides, like Prince Charles saying “heute[r]Abend” in German, and the concept of “grapholatry”, the worship of written spelling.
More accents
White comedian Matt Rife sometimes seems to affect a black accent; John McWhorter comes to his defence.
Academics have studied Taylor Swift’s changing accent for the Swiftposium academic conference - yes, that is a real thing
Young people in Ireland are picking up American ways of speaking, but linguist Stephen Lucek thinks it is probably just a fad
Stereotypes about Southern US accents influence people to mimic Southern speech, even when they're not hearing a Southern speaker directly
The London cockney accent used to be a marker for criminality, now it is linked to personal resilience and community-mindedness
Ambika Mod from “One Day” used a dialect coach and the TV programme “Educating Yorkshire” to learn a Yorkshire accent
Neologisms
The neologisms below were sourced from the Cambridge Dictionary New Words blog, “field X buzzwords”-type lists, and stuff I noticed myself. My admittedly subjective criterion for words to make the list is that they seemed new and interesting to me. Click on the word for my source.
AI phone - a smartphone with more advanced chips, allowing AI apps to run on-device rather than in the cloud. Also: a buzzword to sell more phones.
carbon bomb - a project to extract a fossil fuel from the ground that would cause carbon dioxide emissions of more than one gigatonne
co-regulation - when an adult helps a child soothe their emotions during a stressful incident by providing empathy and modelling calmness.
digital body language (DBL) - digital cues other than text that give extra information to the receiver such as emojis, punctuation, message length, and response time
inchstone - a small but important stage in the development of a baby or young child (a play on the word “milestone”)
looksmaxxing - the trend for mostly young men and boys to improve (maximise) one’s appearance with exercises and routines
poly-employment - having two or more jobs at once; “a trend among younger generations towards diverse, flexible, and multifaceted approaches to work and career development”
soft life - a lifestyle someone chooses that is as stress-free and unchallenging as possible, focusing instead on relaxation and well-being
swicy - the mingling of sweet and spicy flavours
swiftynomics - the economic effect on cities associated with Taylor Swift, which is studied at the University of Kansas.
trendbait - neologisms invented for the purpose of getting attention on the internet
vibecession - a period during which people feel very worried and pessimistic about the economy when in fact it is in a strong position
Lexicography & the changing meaning of words
Dictionary.com’s latest additions
“Greedflation, fire tornado, girl dinner, climate breakdown, skiplagging, bed rotting, range anxiety, keto flu, sound bath, slow fashion, shacket, stellar nursery, superfog, and many more.”
AI ghost words; are they a problem?
Last month I featured an article I had written myself, because I had noticed articles online in which non-existent words were being given junk definitions by AI. I figured this was a new word category, something for lexicographers to keep an eye on. Australian word-columnist David Astle got in touch with me and wrote a great article on the phenomenon for a number of Australian newspapers. Now where are those lexicographers?
The Pick-Me Girl phenomenon
Apparently, Gen Z literature students are calling Mary Wollstonecraft a “pick-me girl”. This student writer objects to the term. (Not in relation to Mary Wollstonecraft, just in general.)
Why do some countries (want to) change their names?
From Turkey to Türkiye, Czech Republic to Czechia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia, and potentially India to Bharat and New Zealand to Aotearoa, countries changing names, or at least considering it, seems to be on trend these days. Reasons vary from nationalism to wanting to appease the neighbours.
YouTube: RobWords interviews Merriam-Webster editor about skunked words
“Skunked” words are words that are used with an alternative meaning by so many people that we end up not really knowing what is meant by them anymore. Some of these are hard to accept even for a descriptivist like myself. For example, “bemused” is used by some to mean “amused”. “Nonplussed” is being used to mean relaxed or unimpressed. Many more examples in the video.
Podcast: Popular podcast Stuff You Should Know tackles the “like” debate
Their blurb: “Like is a very divisive word. Purists think it's like, a filler word born in the 80s that's like, destroying the English language. Turns out none of these are like, true.”
Eminent linguist John McWhorter’s take on “like”
[Of an old recording] “And what stands out today, 60 years later, is how often they pause briefly when they talk. Their speech sounds almost herky-jerky to the modern ear. The reason their speech sounds somewhat odd in that way is that today people like those on the recording would fill many of those pauses with “like.”
Theatre in Washington DC: Webster’s B*tch
A comedy about vulgar words and the people who define them, playing April 6-May 5, 2024.
Words around the world
In this section, I highlight some words and terms from the richness of the English-speaking world that came to my attention in the past month. Click on the word to get more information. Tip: see if you can find your own English variety below. Find out which words seem normal to you, but strange to others!
bartender’s handshake - bartender English for a shot ordered (or offered) to identify (or acknowledge) a fellow bartender (lots more bartender lingo in article)
buzzy - New Zealand English for something that is fascinating and compelling because it is unusual or unexpected (dying out, according to the article).
chutnification - Indian English word coined by Salman Rushdie to refer to the way Indian people blend their own and their neighbours’ languages into English
dairy - New Zealand English for corner shop
fod plod - Antarctica English for going out to pick up trash
fuddy duddy - UK English (though, according to the article, only for older generations) for a (usually) older person who is fussy, old-fashioned and traditionalist.
get down from the car - Miami (USA) English for “get out of the car”, a direct translation from the Spanish bajar del carro. (Good article about Miami English in link)
to have a kiki - drag culture English for “to gossip”
in the weeds - restaurant kitchen English for when the kitchen is struggling to keep up with the orders coming in
to japa - Nigerian English for to run away from a bad situation to a better place. A loanword from Yoruba, the term has been trending recently, often in combinations such as “japa fever” or “japa syndrome”
to laik - Northern English (UK) dialect for 'to play' or 'to take time off work'.
pawpaw - in Australia, a papaya. In the USA, a large, yellowish-green to brown fruit that is mostly unknown in the rest of the world
stud - Black lesbian American English for a Black masculine identifying lesbian
twink - gay English for a man who is thin, young-looking, attractive, and has little to no body hair and no facial hair. “The gay answer to the blonde bimbo cheerleader.”
(I did not choose to pair the above two terms together, the alphabet did.)
whip - New York City (USA) English for car
yeah-nah - Australian English for, well, a lot of things. You’re going to have to read the article, which features, would you believe it, Taylor Swift.
English around the world
The Jamaican linguist that consulted on the recent Bob Marley biopic
“When the Jamaican linguist Dr Joseph Farquharson agreed to consult on the Bob Marley biopic One Love, there was one major motivating factor: wanting to avoid another Cool Runnings.”
How did words like periodt, GYAT, cap and drip come to be? All about the Black history of slang
Nearly half of Black employees in the USA see code-switching as a necessity at work
How a new generation is reinventing Spanglish (excellent long-read)
In Miami, most people have an automatic preference for English over Spanish
New(ish) internet slang: “wen housing crash”?
Indian publishing is veering away from Western concepts and highlighting Indian cuisine to make books accessible for children
Malaysia is worried about declining levels of English
This Malaysian computer game is also available in “Broken Malaysian English”
In Malta, more and more students are directly translating English idioms and expressions to Maltese and even using English words written in Maltese phonetics
Teachers take note:
Great article to teach corpus linguistics
This article on The Conversation makes corpus linguistics fun and understandable. Probably best for teachers who are in the UK or who focus on British English. “Analysis of 100 million words reveals what Brits talk about most.”
New podcast: Language on the Move
In-depth conversations about language learning, intercultural communication, multilingualism, applied sociolinguistics, and much more. Not made by professional podcast producers, but made with a lot of love.
New Books
Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares about Words, by Anne Curzan
not yet out in UK / US link
I regularly listen to Anne Curzan’s podcast (which is actually a segment on Michigan Public Radio). It is a treat, because I always agree with her. This book promises to be a practical and interesting guide. “Chock-full of fascinating trivia and persuasively argued, this will give grammar sticklers pause.”
The Extinction of Irena Rey, by Jennifer Croft
A novel about eight translators and their search for a world-renowned author who goes missing. As a translator, I am so excited for this book!
Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology, by Jess Zafarris
UK link / US link (only pre-order in US)
“With an emphasis on understanding where the foulest words in the English language came from-and the disgusting and hilarious histories behind them-this book demonstrates the true filth of our everyday words.”
The Language of Pick-Up Artists: Online Discourses of the Seduction Industry
“a corpus-based discourse analysis approach to the study of the communicative practices of pick-up artists”
An Introduction to English Phonetics, Third edition, by Richard Ogden
UK link / US link / e-book might be free via your institution
“In his bestselling introductory textbook, Richard Ogden presents the concepts, terminology and representations needed for understanding how English is pronounced globally.”
Fundamental Principles of Corpus Linguistics, by Tony McEnery and Vaclav Brezina
This textbook explores a number of fundamental issues in corpus linguistics, critically evaluates how these issues are tackled, and proposes a set of best practices for future research.
Gender in World Englishes
“Using examples from World Englishes in Africa, America, Asia, Britain and the Caribbean, this book explores the degree of variation based on gender, in native-, second- and foreign-language varieties.”
Bookshop.org works with local, independent book shops. Links to Bookshop.org may generate affiliate revenue for me. If the hardback price almost gave you a heart attack, don’t worry, that’s normal for textbooks. The paperback is usually fine. (Just check out the US link to the last book to see what I mean.)
Referral programme
If you click the button below, or the “share” button, you will get a unique link to share thias newsletter with friends or on social media. If you refer three people or more you get access to a page full of memes and other funnies about language. Refer 10 people or more, and you get a custom comic just for you. 25 people or more means you get 10 postcards. Actual, physical postcards, sent to your home address.
And finally…
And finally, a funny picture or video that I found on the internet.
Warning: this is a naughty one. Not safe for work or children!
In New Zealand English, pen can sound like pin, bed can sound like bid, and deck can sound like… well…
The number of mistakes in this newsletter is directly proportionate to the number of times my three-year-old woke me up last night. If you want to give me any feedback, you can use the comment button below, or hit reply to send me an email.
I used limited AI to create this newsletter, just to help me find the right phrasing, like, twice. All articles were chosen, read and summarised by a human being, namely me :-) The picture was also AI this month (I usually use real old pictures). I’m going to try to not use AI again because the longer you look at it, the weirder it gets. The girl getting the flower is not sitting, so why are her legs so short? And what is the piece of fabric on the seat doing?
Special thanks to my nephew Q who keeps me updated on Gen Z slang.
If you are still reading (wow!): I’ve had a whole lot of new subscribers come in on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 March, but I have no idea where they came from. If you were one of these new subscribers, please reply to this email and let me know where you found out about me. I’d love to know!
My first time reading you! Wow, enough to keep me amused into the middle of next week, by which time you'll probably have sent several more. Anyway, thank you. Much to enjoy and dip into.
Notes from Appalachia (USA):
The pawpaw is delicious, tasting like banana and mango. If picked hard (unripe), it will never ripen. Once it starts to soften, you only have a few days until it's rotten mush. It's thin skinned and easily damaged. It's basically impossible to ship on a commercial scale, which is why it's unknown not only outside of the US, but even in regions of the US where it doesn't grow.
It grows wild and abundantly in my neck of the woods.
Pawpaw (with a capital P) or Paw Paw, means Grandpa here.
Some old-timers with thicker accents here also put the r on the end of idea(r). They also put it in wa(r)sh.
Our neighbors in the Midwest (again, USA) also say yeah naw, or yeah no.
And also no yeah, which means something different.
Loved this newsletter episode (edition?)! Great stuff!