Words of 2024
Around this time each year, English language dictionaries around the world publish their "Word of the Year", a term that has seen significant usage, predominantly on online platforms. On this site, we have looked at previous instances, such as the Oxford Dictionary's 2019 entry Climate Emergency and 2022's Goblin Mode.
This year's winner from Oxford was brain rot. They define this as: “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration” (OUP, 2024).
It dovetails nicely with 2020's doom-scrolling (the act of spending too much time consuming negative news or content online, often through social media or news websites) and is further evidence of the impact digital technologies are having not only on our psychological state and relationships but also the language we speak. As a result, this lesson could fit into a unit on Human Ingenuity
The main text for this lesson is an article from the English-language Indian newspaper The Hindu, which has compiled a list of 10 words of the year from various sources.
Task 1: Tuning In
Before you use the article from The Hindu, use this short video from American TV network CBS to tune students into the topic.
Play the audio of the video above and ask students to try writing down...
- Oxford's word of the year...
brain rot
- The % increase of this word compared to last year...
230%
- When the term was first used...
more than a century ago
- Another word of the year from a different dictionary...
demure; manifest
Play a second time, this time with the video, for students to check their answers.
Write the words brain rot, manifest, and demure on the board and ask students if they have heard of them. Are there any other words they would suggest as candidates for word of the year?
Handouts
Words of the Year 2024You can either share the PDF with students or print it and cut up the ten entries, then divide them among your class. You can model the task using the OED winner, brain rot.
This leaves nine possible words. For more than nine students, have students work in pairs or repeat words, and for less than ten, either choose the words you want or have students choose themselves.
One of the words is enshittification ("the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking.”) Given the slightly rude nature of this word, you may wish to exclude it, or at least warn students. They've most likely heard worse!
The goal is for students to campaign for their word to be an alternative word of the year to brain rot. This is done through an information gap activity and a final vote as a class.
Task 2: Prepare
Hand out copies of the word of the year note-taking sheet.
Read through the model for brain rot to show students what is required. Draw attention to the fact that this is a concise paraphrase of information in the original article.
More capable students may be able to handle this degree of linguistic complexity, but others may struggle. Consider allowing students to use...
- a monolingual dictionary (E.g. Longman Learner Dictionary)
- translation tools for individual words/phrases (E.g. Google Translate)
- Chat GPT (E.g. to ask for feedback on their summary)
Task 3: Information Gap
Set up the class in 2 rows, A and B, with students sitting opposite each other.
Have students in row A start by presenting the case for their word to their partner, who should take brief notes. Allow up to a couple of minutes.
Then, switch so that row B can present their ideas.
Next, have students in row B move up one spot while row A stays still. Repeat this until each student from row A has spoken to someone from row B. This allows students to practise their presentation skills and develop fluency in talking about their words.
To ensure all students hear from each other, finish by separating the rows into two groups. Each student should present their polished mini-presentation to their group, who should take notes to complete their own table.
Once everyone has taken notes on each of the words, it's time to vote for the best alternative word of the year. Encourage students to vote based on the significance of the word in their own lives.
Task 4: Writing (Optional extension)
To practise Paper 1 skills, consider having students write a text related to the concept of vocabulary that has a significant meaning to a particular group of people.
Inspired by the Oxford Word of the Year announcement, you want to conduct a similar poll in order to find the word of the year within your school community. Write a text in which you suggest possible words or phrases for the award, explain the significance of each, and encourage students to vote in the poll.
Email / Review / Article
Click below to reveal the relative appropriateness of these options.
An article would be appropriate as it could inform a wider audience of the words and the poll, encouraging them to vote.
An email would be generally appropriate. It could be considered appropriate if it's clear the email is addressed to the whole school community, not just an individual.
A review would be generally inappropriate as it is more suited to evaluating something. For the purpose of this task, that isn't necessary.