American Dialect Society names the word of the year to be “sub prime”.The prefix “sub” translates roughly to “below the standard,” while “prime” means something close to “the best.”I guess they liked it because it is almost an oxymoron.The word is a banking industry term that is now commonplace in conversations for all people.I am not sure if this is the correct meaning of the word,even though it is taken from the root. We will see over this next year, what the true meaning becomes.The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, comprises linguists, grammarians, historians and scholars, among others. This is not an official group.

     I like Merriam-Webster word of the year a whole lot better: “w00t” meaning we own the other team. YouTube listed “Chinglish” in the top ten list.I truly appreciate this one, just coming back from China.The word used heavily by our local guides to describe their broken English. (I thought they were very good.) Gore has made several lists as a top name, rather than a word.W00t and Chinglish are fun words. Gore is a strong word. Sub-prime is mean and scary.I think we should be starting the year out right! Happy New Year to all and may this year be stable and healthy for all.

– Dale Siegel