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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Celebrating One Million English Words! (Or Not)
“Web 2.0” became the one-millionth English word Wednesday (Does “one-millionth” count as a word?), according to The Global Language Monitor, a Texas-based Web site that tracks the creation of new English words.
One million English words? (And does “one million” count as one word or as two words that contribute to a one-word idea?)
“Nonsense!” say some linguists. It's impossible to count words. A “stunt,” say others. There are no certified rules for legitimizing words. (And would “legitimize” count as one word and “legitimizing” as another word? Seems a bit redundant.)
Ultimately experts call the entire idea of counting words rubbish but admit that English has more recognized words than any other world language. (Do we count “words” and “word” separately? Make that two for “word/words.”)
The Global Language Monitor says it's a celebration of the world's wordiest language at the very least. (We're counting “it's” as a word along with “it” and “is” just for fun).
Let's celebrate English! Yippee!
Is “yippee” even a word?