When ‘The Word of the Year’ is NOT a Word

Two years ago the Oxford Dictionary declared "Selfie" as their Word of the Year.  Last year it was "Vape". Today they announced it was an emoji and NOT a real word that took the honors for 2015.

"The Face With Tears of Joy" was the choice to represent the prestigious dictionary.

Why you ask, well the Oxford folks feel that the emoji culture has exploded over the past year and the one chosen best represents the culture.

A runner-up for the honors was the pronoun "They".

According to Oxford:

“The pronoun ‘they’ is one of the most common words in English, but it has been thrust into the spotlight recently with reference to people with non-binary gender identities (that is, people who identify as neither male or female),”

Over the years I had teachers and instructors who stressed proper use of grammar and spelling.  Pop culture will probably determine the additions to the vocabulary of the U.S. for next year and years to come..

Check out the list of recent additions by clicking  HERE.