BNC selects a Berkeley cultural treasure to feature in each eNEWS issue. Since we started, BNC has expanded this section so that we now consider community organizations, businesses, activities, architecture, events, and people that make the City of Berkeley such a special place. Whatever or whoever is nominated for this section must reside in, or have a strong connection with Berkeley, and be nominated by a Berkeley resident who has no connection, other than that of an ordinary patron of, or a participant in, whatever is being nominated. However, nomination does not automatically mean selection. The Newsletter Committee determines selections and in the majority of cases, the descriptions/comments about the selection will be published anonymously. Submissions may be sent to newsletter@berkeleyneighborhoodscouncil.com. BNC will notify the selected treasure.
Our selection for this issue is not a Berkeley organization or resident — it’s something that is basic to the intellectual pursuits that capture the attention of and engage Berkeleyans of all persuasions — speaking at meetings and protests; attending lectures; freely expressing opinions to newspapers and media; simply enjoying a good book from our well-used, wonderful public libraries and our many Little Free Libraries that flourish in all our neighborhoods. So, the subject we have selected for this post is:
Words, Words, Words
At the end of every year, the Oxford Dictionaries select with great media fanfare the word of the year for 2014, that word is:
Vape (v,): to inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.
According to various commentaries, “vape” was selected because the usage of such devices has more than doubled in the past year, and it’s estimated that people today are thirty times more likely to come across the word than just two years ago.
You might have heard about the selection of “vape” as 2014’s Word of the Year on the TV news, but there were six other words on the Oxford Dictionaries “short list” that might have easily won this title. Apparently it was a close call. BNC was curious so we looked them up, and thought all six have meaning for Berkeley so we thought we would mention these also rans. (As an added bonus, knowing these words might also help those readers who are not quite up to speed with the speech of much younger Berkeley residents.) Note: Be aware that BNC has taken the liberty of adding some emphasis in the meanings.
bae (n.): a term of endearment for one’s romantic partner, likely a shortening of baby or babe, though some theorize that it is an acronym for “before anyone else.”
budtender (n.): someone who works at a medical marijuana dispensary or retail marijuana shop.
contactless (adj.): describing technologies that allow a smart card, etc., to connect wirelessly to an electronic reader, typically in order to make a payment.
indyref (n.): an abbreviated form of Scotland’s failed referendum to declare independence from the United Kingdom.
normcore (n.): a fashion movement in which ordinary, unfashionable clothing is worn as a deliberate statement.
slacktivist (n.): one who engages in digital activism on the Web which is regarded as requiring little time or involvement. Also slacktivism.
There was also a “Long List” of 15 words, on what the Oxford editors called “solid candidates.” BNC will mention only seven that we found interesting for Berkeley, particular the last one in this group:
anti-vax (adj.): describing someone who is opposed to vaccination. (Certainly a candidate for widespread use because of the measles outbreak. but now you know it’s a real word even if your computer’s spell check program gives it a red underline!)
brogrammer (n.): a portmanteau of bro and programmer, which can describe a computer programmer with typically macho characteristics.
dronie (n.): a selfie taken from a camera attached to a flying drone.
duck face (n.): a (pejorative) term for a facial expression made by pressing one’s lips together into the shape of a duck’s bill, often performed in selfies.
hangry (adj): to experience both hunger and anger, often to be easily angered because of hunger or so hungry that one becomes angry.
mansplain (v.): to explain something to someone, typically a man to woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.
poor door (n.): a separate door to a building meant to be used by people of a lower economic class, as in a luxury apartment building with a block of affordable units.
Once we got into this subject, we couldn’t help wonder what words were the winners in other years. Here’s what we found out:
2013: selfie (a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website)
2012: GIF (verb: to create a file of an image of video sequence, especially relating to an event)
2011: squeezed middle (the section of society regarded as particularly affected by inflation, wage freeze and cuts in public spending during a time of economic difficulty, consisting principally of those people on low or middle incomes)
2010: refudiate (verb: used loosely to mean “reject” — a blend of “refute” and “repudiate” said to be first used by Sarah Palin)
2009: unfriend (verb: to remove someone as a “friend” on a social networking site)
2008: hypermiling (to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques)
2007: locavore (a trend in using locally grown ingredients and taking advantage of seasonally accessible food stuffs that can be bought and prepared without need for extra preservatives)
2006: carbon-neutral (calculating your total climate-damaging carbon emissions, reducing those where possible and then balancing your remaining emissions often by purchasing a carbon offset such as paying to plant new trees or investing in “green” technologies such as solar and wind power)
2005: podcast (a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the internet for downloading to a personal audio player)
BNC readers need to know that the “Oxford Dictionaries” include one for the U.S. and one for the United Kingdom. They don’t always agree on the “Word of the Year” Title. It so happens that they both agree on “vape” for 2014 and “selfie” for 2013, but didn’t agree in years 2005 to 2010.
Incidentally, if you really want to know, the Merriam Webster Dictionary 2014 Word of the Year is “culture” meaning systematic behavior and allows us to identify and isolate an idea, issue or group. “Culture” can be very broad (as in “celebrity culture”) or very specific (as in “City of Berkeley Planning and Development Department culture”).