Definitions of words are forever changing, but we didn’t realise that also applied to the word ‘word’.
Instead of ‘a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation’ (yes, we looked up the definition of the word ‘word’), the ‘written representation’ part has been stretched to its limits with the selection of an emoji as the word of the year.
‘Who has made that decision?’ we hear you ask. ‘Surely no one important?’ Well, actually the call has been made by Oxford Dictionaries. And we reckon they know quite a bit about words.
Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2015 is… 😂! https://t.co/LjJyxO8cvv #OxfordWOTY pic.twitter.com/Ced28y3I6F
— Oxford Languages (@OxLanguages) November 16, 2015
That’s right, the cry-laugh emoji is the word of the year for 2015. If only we had a way to express our simultaneous amusement and revulsion at the decision. Oh, wait.
On the plus side, at least it wasn’t the grinning turd emoji, or the combination of the frog emoji and cup of tea emoji, signifying ‘but that’s none of my business…’.
Oh well, there’s always 2016.
