Jan. 9, 2007
 
PARALLEL UNIVERSE: Language Mavens Pick ‘Plutoed’ As Word of the Year
 
By David M. Kinchen
Editor, Huntington News Network
 
Hinton, WV (HNN) – Meeting across the street from Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, members of the American Dialect Society on Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 picked “plutoed” as the 2006 Word of the Year. (for the full release, see:
 
http://www.americandialect.org/Word-of-the-Year_2006.pdf).
 
As a fan of Pluto (both the planet and the Walt Disney cartoon dog) I believe the demotion of the planet – I still think it’s one, albeit a small one – to asteroid status is a crime against nature. "Plutoed" beat "climate canary" in a run-off vote. If you have been "plutoed" (and, let’s face it, anyone with any miles on him or her has been there and had it done to him/her) you have been demoted or devalued, just as happened to the former planet Pluto when its status was downgraded.
 
A "climate canary" is something whose poor health indicates a looming environmental catastrophe. Also in the running was “macaca” (“an American citizen treated as an alien”) – the alleged ethnic slur that may have cost U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-VA his seat and the GOP its Senate majority. As a certified English major (we’re all eligible for certification) I’d say “macaca” was what the Brits call a “one-off” -- a one-time usage unlikely to be repeated – especially if you’re running for office in Virginia. Other words in the running were:”flog” -- an advertisement disguised as a blog or web log and “prohibited liquids” -- "fluids that cannot be transported by passengers on airplanes"
 
"It was good that the society focused on a genuine scientific concern, though I believe the nomination came in from outer space," said committee chairman Professor Wayne Glowka.
 
The society says its vote is for fun only and they do not act in any official capacity of introducing words into the English language. Unlike France or Germany or other countries, we don’t have an official regulatory body telling us what’s right or wrong in English (just that English teacher in your dreams – or nightmares – correcting your incorrect usage).
 
The society also selects words in other categories that vary from year to year, such as most original, most unnecessary, most outrageous, and most likely to succeed. Check out the PDF (I’m surprised “PDF” wasn’t a word of the year in past years) for more details.
 
According to its web site, ADS (founded in 1889) has voted since 1991 on a word of the year, defined by the group of linguists as “the year’s most important word or expression in public discussion.” Here is the list:
 
• 1990: bushlips (similar to "bullshit" – stemming from President George H.W. Bush's 1988 "Read my lips: no new taxes" broken promise)
 
• 1991: mother of all (as in Saddam Hussein's foretold "Mother of all battles")
 
• 1992: Not! (meaning "just kidding")
 
• 1993: information superhighway
 
• 1994: cyber, morph (to change form)
 
• 1995: Web and (to) newt (to act aggressively as a newcomer)
 
• 1996: mom (as in "soccer mom")
 
• 1997: millennium bug
 
• 1998: e- (as in "e-mail")
 
• 1999: Y2K
 
• 2000: chad (from the 2000 Presidential Election controversy in Florida)
 
• 2001: 9-11
 
• 2002: weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)
 
• 2003: metrosexual
 
• 2004: red state, blue state, purple state (from the 2004 presidential election)
 
• 2005: truthiness, popularized on The Colbert Report
 
• 2006: plutoed (demoted or devalued, as happened to the former planet Pluto)