The 2005 Word of the Year: "Truthiness"

[dianeduane]

Hot from the website of the American Dialect Society...

In its 16th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted truthiness as the word of the year. First heard on the Colbert Report, a satirical mock news show on the Comedy Channel, truthiness refers to the quality of stating concepts or facts one wishes or believes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true. As Stephen Colbert put it, "I don’t trust books. They’re all fact, no heart."

The full report is also available on their site as a PDF. Runners-up to the Word of the Year include: Katrina (and all Katrina-related words): podcast: "intelligent design": refugee: Cruiselex (and all other Tom Cruise-related words): "heck of a job": brownout (redefined as the poor handling of an emergency): and disaster-industrial complex.

(Take a look at the "euphemism" category, too. "Internal nutrition," huh.) (mutter)

Comments

You obviously are reading the right blogs!

[cjmr.livejournal.com]

You posted this story at least 24 hours before anyone else--including the big political blogs and USA Today!

BTW, the whole report made for fascinating reading for me, since I'm a linguist by training...

Re: You obviously are reading the right blogs!

[dduane.livejournal.com]

(chuckle) Don't remember where I saw the original reference. It might have been Languagehat -- I think I dropped in there the other day.

Re: You obviously are reading the right blogs!

[cjmr.livejournal.com]

I didn't see that on Languagehat, but once again, you've given me yet another blog to read/add to my blogroll!

Thanks!