Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
As the curtain closes on 2015, Take Two has been looking back at the people and events that have defined our year.
It's difficult to discuss a year, however, without taking a moment to examine how we spoke during said year.
Over the past 12 months, a number of words and phrases have woven their way into our vernacular. Some of the top terms have been comical; some rose to popularity after tragedies. Regardless of where a word finds its genesis, each just might provide future generations with valuable insight into the way we understand the world around us.
Lauren Collister is a sociolinguist with the University of Pittsburgh. She explained some 2015 gems to Alex Cohen.
Collister says the suffix “-ism” might arguably be one of the most important terms of 2015.
Synonymous with “on point," the origins of the phrase can be traced to a viral vine video.
Collister says it’s often more difficult to determine where popular phrases first get their start.
The terms “mastermind” and “ringleader” are words redefined after a resurgence of devastating terror attacks. Collister says these particular words reveal a lot about the concerns of people living through this time, and our desire to find the people behind a violent act.
Looking ahead, Collister predicts the 2016 presidential election will introduce a series of new words to our national vocabulary.