Journalism: The Evolving Lexicon

Each year, journalists publish and evaluate the new additions to major English dictionaries. These additions represent the pulse of our evolving tongue, for better or for worse. Read the articles below and assess the new waves of vocabulary. Then, develop your own journalistic proposal: suggest 5 words to be added next year, and invent 5 words (in the spirit of schadenfreude and culacino) that pinpoint meanings for which single terms do not exist.

Oxford's Additions

The Guardian

G Block Freshmen: Shakespeare and Predestination

As we study William Shakespeare and read Romeo and Juliet in class, consider the following prompt: The concept of predestination is reflected in the work of Shakespeare. The lives of men and women are "mapped out in the stars," and attempts to transcend or disrupt this order, or chain of being, only lead to tragedy. Does belief in predestination exist in some form today? Do we subscribe to a similar or different philosophy? How does predestination relate to, or conflict with, the "American Dream"? How might you categorize the belief systems of our world today? Do you believe that your destiny is mapped out for you, or do you think that you control your own fate?