Language tells us a lot about what we value, and how those values shift over time. George Dunford and Gina Fairley look at the arts sector's top 10 buzzwords of 2019.
'It is no surprise that the Oxford (Dictionary) Word of the Year is ‘climate emergency’, while the Collins Dictionary chose ‘climate strike’, despite the term first being registered in November 2015 during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. Artists too embraced the zeitgeist.
In contrast, Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2019 is ‘cancel culture’, for a critical mass of people, usually on social media, who attack a person over an accusation, which later is often proven false. Sadly, the arts is no stranger to this behaviour. Macquarie Dictionary also included ‘eco-anxiety’ in its Honorable Mentions for 2019, along with a word from the Pitjantjatjara language ‘ngangkari’, meaning ‘traditional healer'.
We seem to be witnessing a shift in trending language across the arts. While 2017 was dwelling in the realm of silos, disruptors, agency, leverage and amplifying things, 2018 was less jargon-focused, with the most regularly used catchphrases tapped into strategic thinking and wellbeing – words like urgency, sustainability and being authentic.' ... Keep reading on Arts Hub
'It is no surprise that the Oxford (Dictionary) Word of the Year is ‘climate emergency’, while the Collins Dictionary chose ‘climate strike’, despite the term first being registered in November 2015 during the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. Artists too embraced the zeitgeist.
In contrast, Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2019 is ‘cancel culture’, for a critical mass of people, usually on social media, who attack a person over an accusation, which later is often proven false. Sadly, the arts is no stranger to this behaviour. Macquarie Dictionary also included ‘eco-anxiety’ in its Honorable Mentions for 2019, along with a word from the Pitjantjatjara language ‘ngangkari’, meaning ‘traditional healer'.
We seem to be witnessing a shift in trending language across the arts. While 2017 was dwelling in the realm of silos, disruptors, agency, leverage and amplifying things, 2018 was less jargon-focused, with the most regularly used catchphrases tapped into strategic thinking and wellbeing – words like urgency, sustainability and being authentic.' ... Keep reading on Arts Hub