The Millionth Word of the English Language?
According to an American firm, the anticipated millionth word of the English Language is “Web 2.0″.
The term, describing more modern, user-friendly internet services, apparently beat “jai ho” and “slumdog” to the millionth position, both taken from Danny Boyle’s Mumbai blockbuster “Slumdog Millionnaire” (interestingly, the eighth film ever to win eight Academy Awards).
It also edged out online gaming term “n00b”, used to describe unskilled or new players, which would have been the only English word including numerals.
Yet there is controversy surrounding web 2.0’s ascent. Texas-based Global Language Monitor, who “discovered” and claimed the millionth word, monitor the internet for new terms, recognising words as official after 25,000 recorded uses. Traditional dictionary makers (”lexicographers) cast doubt on the method, citing their own their tighter criteria for length of time used (avoiding short lived slang terms).
They claim English vocabulary cannot be numbered, but comment that if all technical terms and slang were included English would be well past one 1,000,000 words.
With 1.5 billion speaking a version of English (nowadays known as “Pan-English”, or “Panglish” as local accents and terms mix in), it is the fastest growing language in the world.
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