Hello, everyone. My name is Emma; and in today's video, I'm going to share with
you something very exciting, and that is my list of the "Top Ten words of this
Decade". So, English is a very interesting language. Why? Because it is
always changing; we continuously get new words in English. So, in this video, I'm
going to teach you about ten different words — one for each decade. So, I'm
going to teach you words that were popular in 2010, 2011, all the way to
2020. For each year, you're going to see one word. And those words are important,
popular, and continue to be used even today. In order to create this list of
my "Top Ten Words of the Decade", I did some research. I looked at a whole bunch
of different dictionaries — from Oxford to dictionary.com, to, you know,
Cambridge; just a whole bunch of different types of dictionaries — and
that helped me to create my list. I also used my own personal experience with
these words; I chose them based on words that I have heard a lot, and continue to
hear. So, I am excited to share with you my list of my "Top Ten Words of the
Decade".
So, the first word I want to talk about is used so commonly today; but back in
2010, it was actually a newer kind of word. It was just gaining popularity
that year. So, what word am I talking about? Well, in 2010, my choice of word
of the year would be the word: "app". So, what is an "app"? An "app" is a
software program that you find on your computer or your phone operating system.
"Apps" have become very popular. Many of us use apps in our everyday life. It's
hard to remember the past before apps, actually. So, here is my example: "I
have many apps on my phone." Now, I know this word might exist in your language
as well. "Apps" is one of those words that has become popular in many
different languages. So, if this is not a new word for you, that's okay. I want
you to think about the pronunciation of this word. Do you pronounce it the same
way as I do? So, I'm pronouncing this as: "app"; almost like an "apple" —
"app". So, this is the word for 2010.
The next word is for 2011. This word also has to do with computers and just
with technology, in general. I have, here, a photo... or not a photo. I have,
here, a drawing of a cloud. So, usually when we're talking about nature, we're
talking about "clouds" that look like this. But in 2011, this word: "cloud"
became popular, and it meant something different. When we're talking about
technology, the "cloud" is the online space, where we do things. For example,
we store data on a "cloud". So, we do different things online, and we refer to
that online space as the "cloud". So: "I upload my photos to the cloud." That
means they're not on my computer; they're somewhere in, you know, this
online space. So, our first two words of the decade have to do with technology.
Okay. So, 2012. If you can remember that far, or that long ago — what was a very
popular word in 2012 that continues to be popular today? Well, I did some
research, and a really popular word of 2012 was the word: "hashtag". So, you
might be familiar with this word; it's used a lot. I remember back in maybe
2012, 2013, my grandmother, who had never used the internet before, asked me
to explain a "hashtag" to her. And that was really, really difficult I remember.
So, what is a "hashtag"? Well, simply, it is this number symbol that's followed
by a word or a phrase. "Hashtags" are used mainly on social media or on the
internet. Twitter is a place where you will see a lot of hashtags; same with
Instagram. So, when you see this symbol and a word or a phrase — that's a
"hashtag". So, let me give you an example of a very famous "hashtag":
"Many women used the hashtag #MeToo to discuss sexual harassment."
Okay. So, this next word is actually one of my favorite words of the decade, and
that word is: "binge-watch". So, first, let me explain what this word means, and
then I will tell you why it's my favorite word. When we "binge-watch"
something, it means we watch a lot of episodes of a TV series, or maybe a
Netflix series, and we watch it all in the same day in one setting. Or, sorry,
one sitting. So, I'll give you an example: I was watching Game of Thrones,
and I love that show. So, what did I do? Well, I binge-watched it. I watched an
episode of Game of Thrones; and then once that episode finished, I watched
another episode of Game of Thrones; and then a third episode of Game of Thrones.
So, that's, like, three or four hours of time where I just sat and watched a lot
of the same TV show. So, that's what I mean by "binge-watch". So, we watch a
lot of episodes of a TV series, or a streaming series in one sitting. Can you
think of a show maybe that you have "binge-watched" in the past? You can
write it in the comments below. It will be interesting to see what shows people
really like to binge-watch. So, why is this my favorite of probably the... this
decade list? Well, I have a little secret, and that is: I am a couch
potato. So, what do I mean by "couch potato"? Well, a "couch potato" is a
person who likes to sit on the couch and watch a lot of TV. So, this is my
secret: I am a couch potato. I spend a lot of time watching Netflix and TV. So,
I spend a lot of time binge-watching different TV series. Now, be very
careful with the pronunciation of this word; especially the "g", here. It's a
"je" sound. So, it's not a hard "g"; it's a soft "g". We say: "binge",
"binge-watch". Okay? And, again, this is a verb. So, you can say: "I
binge-watched a lot of shows yesterday." -"What did you do this weekend?" -"Oh, I
just binge-watched my favorite TV program." Okay. So, that is the word for
2013. Let's see what the rest of the decade holds for us.
Okay. So, let's talk about 2014. So, that was quite a while back. What word
became popular in 2014? Well, that is the word: "salty". Now, I have included
this word: "salty" on this list because since 2014... At first, I started to
hear it a little bit; but, now, I hear this word a lot. So, I think this word
has actually become more popular over time. So, what does it mean: "to be
salty"? Well, if you look at this face, I think that will help you to
understand. "Salty" has a negative meaning. If you say someone is "salty",
it means that they are maybe angry, or bitter, or upset. They might be even a
little rude because they are angry. So, I'll give you an example. This is not a
true example, but just imagine: "My brother is salty" — why? — "because I
forgot his birthday". So, I could say: "My brother is angry. My brother is
resentful. He's bitter". But a nice, fun, slang way to say this is: "My
brother is salty." So, with this word, I would use it. I recommend people from
maybe the younger generation to use it because it hasn't really caught on with
people from, you know... in their 50s or 60s. I haven't heard older people using
this word yet. But I've heard this word used by people in their 20s, their
teens, their 30s. So, just be aware that it is slang, but it tends to be the
younger generation that is using this word.
Okay. This word... The next word is for 2015. I have, here, a picture of a
ghost. So, you know, for holidays, like Halloween, or when we watch scary
movies, we often think about "ghost". But there now is another meaning for the
word "ghost". "Ghost" can actually be a verb, so it can be an action. What does
"ghost" mean? Well, here's an example: "My friend, Chloe, hasn't heard from her
date in two weeks." She's tried to call him; she's sent him text messages, but
there's no response. So, what's happening? It's like he's disappeared.
It's like he is a ghost. So, we say: "He ghosted her." So, this verb, I have put
on this list, because I think it represents a cultural phenomenon that is
happening. There are situations where, you know... now there is a lot of online
dating. And so, because of online dating, sometimes you might hear stories
of people "ghosting" each other — this is where they meet for a date, and then
one person just stops all communication. When all communication is stopped by one
person for no reason — we call that: "ghosting". So, again: "ghost" means to
stop communication, but without giving someone a reason. So, it's like they
disappear and it's unexpected.
Okay. So, 2016. 2016 was a very strange year for a lot of reasons, and so you
might be surprised with my choice for the word of the year for 2016. My choice
is the word: "surreal". "Surreal" is an older word, actually. But it actually
became very popular again in 2016. So, why did people start using this word a
lot during 2016? Well, the word: "surreal" means strange or weird. If you
remember what happened in 2016, that was a very important election year in the
United States. So, in 2016, there was an election, and many people said that they
felt like the world was very "surreal", or that it was a very "surreal"
experience. So, whether, you know... if you're an American and you're a Democrat
or a Republican — for many people, 2016 was a different year, and it felt very
"surreal". So, now let's move forward to 2020. The coronavirus has happened. I
don't know about you, but life has become very surreal. So, this means it
has become very strange; very weird, especially compared to before. So, it's
a synonym for "strange" or "weird". And here's the example: "Since the
coronavirus hit, life is surreal." Okay? So, that was 2016. That was a big year.
What about 2017? Well, 2017 — even 2016, but also 2017 — many people started
talking about "fake news". I actually made a video about "fake news" that you
can watch where I explain what it means, and I go into many different examples of
fake news. But why did I choose this word for 2017? Well, that was the year
that we started using it a lot. Here's an example: "There is a lot of fake news
on Facebook." So, what does it mean if it's "fake news"? What do I mean by
"fake news"? Well, "fake news" is disinformation, or lies that is being
presented like it's the real news. So, I made up my own fake news story back in
2017, I think, where I said that Kim Kardashian is actually Michael Jackson.
So, that was my "fake news" story of that year. It's not true, but I made my
own story up. That's an example of "fake news". So, now, let's look at 2018,
2019, and — bum-bum, ba-bum — 2020.
Okay. So, 2018. What happened in 2018? Well, I noticed many of my friends
started talking about "toxic" people in their lives, and all the "toxic" people
they wanted to remove from their lives. Some people were talking about their
"toxic" bosses, or their tox- — sorry — their "toxic" work environments. So,
this is why I chose this word for 2018 — it became very popular then, and it is
still very popular today. "Toxic" has different meanings. The meaning we are
talking about, in this sense, is synonyms for the word: "negative" or
"harmful". So, "toxic" means negative or harmful. So, if I say: "Remove toxic
people from your life", that means: Remove negative people from your life.
"My workplace is toxic." This means: My workplace is a negative environment.
Maybe I have a boss who's not very nice and who puts a lot of pressure on me, or
maybe there's a lot of different stresses at work. So, many people now
use the word: "toxic" when they talk about the negative parts of their life,
specifically people or environment.
So, now 2019. 2019, I chose the word: "influencer". So, what is an
"influencer"? Well, an "influencer" is... if you look over here, it ends in
"er". Usually, in English, many times words that end in "er" are about people.
So, they describe a person. An "influencer" is a person with a large
audience, and they're able to usually convince their audience, you know...
either by using a product or wearing a product, they're often able to convince
their audience to buy products. Many times "influencers" are sponsored by
different companies. They might also convince their fans to live a certain
lifestyle. And remember, the keyword here is: "influence". If you "influence"
someone, it means that you... you help them make a decision on something. So,
here's an example: "Instagram has many different influencers on it." You might
see Kim Kardashian on it. Selena Gomez is another example of an "influencer".
There are many people who became famous on Instagram, and they are considered
"influencers". So, this is a popular word, especially with, you know, people
from the younger generation who really look up to influencers. So, it is
commonly-used nowadays. But if you think about it, this word did not really exist
in the same way ten years ago. So, that brings me to the best part of this whole
video. Now I'm going to tell you what I think the words of 2020 should be.
Okay. So, before I tell you what the year or what the word of 2020 is, I
wanted to tell you about what I consider the runner-up. The runner-up is the
second-place word of 2020. In my opinion, I think this word should be:
"Karen". So, you may have heard the woman's name, "Karen"; it's a very
popular English name. But nowadays it has a different meaning, in addition to
being somebody's name. If you call somebody a "Karen", it can be an insult.
So, here's an example. You might hear someone say: "Oh, she is such a Karen",
or "That's a Karen thing to do". You know: "You sound like a Karen to me."
So, the reason I've included this word is I have seen it used a lot. I've seen
it in the news, I've seen it on social media; it's becoming a very popular
slang word, and it's actually a very controversial word. So, what does it
mean if you call somebody a "Karen" and you're talking about the slang meaning?
Well, it's usually used to describe a woman who is middle-aged — so maybe in
her 40s, 50s, or 60s — and usually it's a white woman. So, the skin color is
white. And this woman is very demanding, very angry, and very entitled. So, for
example, if somebody goes to a restaurant, and they have a great meal,
but they want to complain to a manager anyways — you might call that person a
"Karen". So, this word some people love. I hear many people using this, and
laughing and loving it. Other people don't like this word; they consider it
offensive. So, this means: They think that it is not a nice word to use. So,
whatever your opinion, this word is becoming more popular, so that's why I
included it in today's list. But that is the runner-up.
For the actual word of 2020, in my opinion, one of the most important words
that is being used around the world and that is very specific to 2020, is the
word: "social-distancing". So, let's first look at the pronunciation of this.
"ci", in English actually has, like, a "ch" sound, so: "social",
"social-distance" or "social-distancing". What does it mean
when we practice "social-distancing"? Well, this is a noun, and what it
means... it can also be a verb, too. What it means is that we keep our
physical distance. So, we don't go close to people; we stay far away. Why are
people practicing "social-distancing"? Because of the coronavirus. So, the big
news story of 2020 has been the coronavirus. It has changed how we live
and what we do. And so, now, many people are "socially-distancing". So, they are
not coming close physically; they stay apart. So, here is my example sentence:
"We social-distance due to coronavirus." So, that, my friends is what I consider
I am very curious about your opinions. Maybe in your opinion, there should be a
different word for 2020, or maybe you disagree with some of the earlier words
on my list. I would love to hear from you. So, please write in the comments
what your opinion is on what the word of the year should be. I would also like to
invite you to check out www.engvid.com. There, you can actually do a quiz to
practice all the words that you have seen today — all the words I went over
for each decade. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel. I have many
different videos on all sorts of different English topics and
language-learning topics. Finally, you can check out my website at
www.teacheremma.com. There, you can find some free resources that can help you
with your English journey. So, thank you for watching; and until next time, take
care.