English gets its millionth word on Wednesday - Web 2.0

by Samir Joshi | June 10, 2009 at 09:23 am
209 views | 67 Recommendations | 6 comments

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Millionth Word Web 2.0

Millionth Word Web 2.0

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The Global Language Monitor today announced that Web 2.0 has bested Jai Ho, N00b and Slumdog as the 1,000,000th English word or phrase added to the codex of fourteen hundred-year-old language.

English contains more words than any other language on the planet and added its millionth word early Wednesday, according to the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created.

The site estimates the millionth English word, "Web 2.0" was added to the language Wednesday at 5:22 a.m. ET. The term refers to the second, more social generation of the Internet.

The site says more than 14 words are added to English every day, at the current rate.

The "Million Word March," however, has made the man who runs this word-counting project somewhat of a pariah in the linguistic community. Some linguists say it's impossible to count the number of words in a language because languages are always changing, and because defining what counts as a word is a fruitless endeavor.

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martin223

Really great story ! I like it !

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Amy Judd

I think I like 'Jai Ho' better..

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Samir Joshi

Yeah, same for me Amy!

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djermano

I don't believe it. ...Better to find the longest word in the English language.

Supercalifragilisticexpeallidocious.

What is the longest word?

osseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullary (51 letters), which translate roughly as 'of bone, flesh, blood, organs, gristle, nerve, and marrow'.

http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/longestword....

Rev. Jermano

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huneds

Noob was a pretty good option too in my opinion.

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sivakaran

I thought noob would've been added earlier.

This story was created over 3 months ago, the comment thread is now closed.

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