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From colloquial terms like ‘Aiyo’ and ‘Abba’ to delicacies like ‘Gulab Jamun’ and ‘Vada’, an estimated 70 new Indian phrases from Telegu, Urdu, Gujarati, Urdu and Tamil have found their way to the Oxford English Dictionary this year. Adding to the exhaustive list will soon be a new expression which shall be declared ‘The Hindi Word Of The Year’, one that reflects the thoughts and emotions of 2017.
Since the origin of its dictionaries, 150 years ago, Oxford has relied heavily on its Indian dictionary editors in India and around the world to monitor the use of regional languages. Accessed by people far and wide after having launched the Hindi dictionary on its online portal, Oxford is planning on releasing The Word Of The Year in other Indian languages as well.
The institute has called upon Hindi speakers from across the nation to lend a hand in the selection of the word considering their submissions need to be made before the 29th of November this year. With events spanning from the creation of the GST bill to the impact of demonetization in the country, this move by Oxford Dictionaries has definitely piqued the curiosity of a few too many. The Hindi Word Of The Year is to be announced in January of 2018.
Crowdsourcing the expression from the public, the Hindi Word Of The Year shall be selected by the Hindi Dictionaries team at the Oxford Universities Press (OUP) with the help of an advisory panel of language experts who will each bring their own unique perspectives to the table. The panel comprises of distinguished writers like Namita Gokhale (former Associate Editor of Aaj Tak), Kritika Agrawal (Indian language expert), journalist Saurabh Dwivedi (senior editorial manager at OUP India) Malika Ghosh, and Poonam Nigam Sahay (Ranchi University’s associate professor).
Emphasising that the new expression will be a huge jump forward for the Hindi language, Oxford’s champion Kritika Agarwal spoke about the aim to highlight the social and cultural relevance in the current context. She also asserted that, “It is the campaign’s endeavour to alter perceptions about languages being a living intangible heritage and not merely a static tool of communication. I am delighted to be a part of, and to promote, a wonderful initiative as this”. With its strong reputation of including words to the English language that create interesting questions to ponder, we’re hopeful that the expression to be declared next year shall truly resonate with the whirlwind year that we’ve survived.
To submit your suggestions, click here.
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