Words wor words drive you cruisazy!

Sunaina Kumar / TNN / Jan 13, 2006, 21:41 IST

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From terms inspired by celeb-antics to yet another classification for men, new words have been added to the English language.

From terms inspired by celeb-antics to yet another classification for men, new words have been added to the English language.
If you're still wondering how to 'jump the couch' in all 'truthiness' and if the words of 2005 are driving you Cruisazy, then welcome to 2006, where new words will be a potent mix of culture, language and profession. In the ever-changing world of urban lingo, keeping pace with new words is becoming increasingly impossible.
A recent survey by linguists voted 'truthiness'(the quality of stating concepts one wishes or believes to be true, rather than the facts) as the word that best reflects 2005. Calcutta Times on the best of 2005 lingo and what lies ahead in 2006...
...How it works:

So, how do these concoction of words gain popularity and who's using the new words? According to Neil O' Brien, former head of Oxford, India, ''Only after a certain term has received a minimum number of citations in the media it is considered for inclusion in the dictionary.''
Thanks to texting, urban lingo is growing by leaps and bounds everyday. Corroborates Arindam Sen, linguist at Delhi University, ''Students use these words and popularise them. With technology reaching new heights, it won't be long before we will have an English Tech dictionary."

Indian context:
The latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English has a liberal dose of Hindi words. Accha, Aloo, Arre, have all found a place. Explains project editor of the new dictionary, Angus Stevenson, ''The aim is to cover the English language based on the entire Englishspeaking world.
If new words are used enough they will end up in the dictionary, and once they are there, they become English words, too.'' His personal favourites among the Hindi additions are roko (protests) and masti (freaking out).
Adds Ayesha Kidwai, linguist at JNU, ''Words like tehelka and bindaas have been very popular lately. Besides, Indians have also reinterpreted English words, like preponed, which does not exist in the English language."
...Words for 2006:
The primary source for new words in 2006 will be the Internet, SMS/MMS and Bollywood, say experts. ''It is difficult to predict which words will catch on next year.
But each new word that's coined is a result of the popular culture reinterpreted in the local language,'' explains Ayesha Kidwai. So, what's in store for 2006? According to adman Prahlad Kakkar, ''The word will be tiger, since it won't be around anymore.''
Top 5 new words and phrases of 2005
1. ��bersexual (A heterosexual man who is masculine, confident, compassionate, and stylish)
2. podcasting (A digital feed containing audio or video files for downloading to an MP3 player)
3. whale tail (The appearance of a thong above the waistband)
4. muffin top (The bulge of flesh hanging over the top of low-riding jeans)
5. cruisazy (Exhibiting strange or frenetic behaviour)
caltimes@timesgroup.com

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