Every year lexicographers release new words to be added to the dictionary. This year among the 1000 or so new words, several diversity related words made the cut. The words that get added to the dictionary go through a process of research to find out how many references are made to the word in scientific and other literature, hits on the internet and user suggestions.
From these sources, lexicographers from dictionary.com use a corpus (a large and structured set of texts today mostly electronically stored and processed). They are used to do statistical analysis and hypothesis testing, checking occurrences or validating linguistic rules) that has over 19 billion words. The corpus contains a massive collection of sources, from literature to news articles to television and interview transcripts, balanced to reflect actual usage of language. These sources help them to come up with definitions of the words. The words that stood out for me on this year’s list include:
Agender: relating to a person who does not have a specific gender identity or recognizable gender expression.
Bigender: relating to a person who has two gender identities or some combination of both.
Gender-fluid: relating to a person whose gender identity or gender expression is not fixed and shifts over time or depending on the situation.
User comment from dictionary.com
Microaggression: a subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a minority or other non-dominant group that is often unintentional or unconsciously reinforces a stereotype.
Hyperlocal: focused on a very small geographical community, as a neighborhood.
Often words have been used for some time before they are actually entered into the dictionary, such as microaggression. It is not a new term in diversity lexicon but is the first time it appears with a definition in dictionary.com. Another word that shows up as new in Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary is meme, defined as an idea, style or usage that spreads from person to person in a culture. A meme is to sociology as a gene is to biology. I have been seeing and using this word for some time and I am surprised that it is just showing up in dictionaries.
Do you have a new word to describe something that is evolving in the diversity and inclusion field? Let’s hear from you. Maybe it will make it in next year’s new dictionary entries!
