KOCHI: Lo, the goblin has gobbled the Oxford poll. Every December, wordists eagerly await the Oxford Word of the Year, which it claims reflects "the mood, ethos, and social landscape of that given year". And this year, the honour goes to 'goblin mode’, defined as slang for a 'type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”.
Notably, this year, the Oxford University Press went democratic. Its "language experts" shortlisted three candidates -- metaverse, #IStandWith, and goblin mode -- and left the final decision to the public.
"2022 has been a year that has not only been characterised by reunion and reconnection, but also by activism, and social and political change," noted an Oxford pre-poll statement."In recognition of this, we are opening up this year’s Oxford Word of the Year for everyone, everywhere to have their say on what word best reflects their experience of 2022."
Launching the poll, British writer and lexicographer Susie Dent said the decision reflected the spirit of true democracy. "English is a democracy; there is no guiding authority telling us what we can say, what we can’t say, what is correct and what is incorrect," she added. One couldn't agree more.
'Goblin mode' won by a landslide, amassing 318,956 (93%) of over 3,40,000 online votes cast globally. With 14,484 votes, the runner-up was 'metaverse', which means a "(hypothetical) virtual reality environment in which users interact with one another's avatars and their surroundings in an immersive way". The popular solidarity hashtag '#IStandWith' managed to attract only 8,639 votes.
Oxford analysts noted that the three candidates had 'experienced substantial spikes in usage' and captured 'significant concerns, concepts, and states that we've faced this year'. Following the results, Oxford Languages president Casper Grathwohl said the "strength of the response highlights how important our vocabulary is to understanding who we are and processing what’s happening to the world around us".
"Given the year we've just experienced, 'goblin mode' resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point," he added. "It's a relief to acknowledge that we’re not always the idealised, curated selves that we are encouraged to present on our Instagram and TikTok feeds."
Interestingly, though the term 'goblin mode' was traced back to social media chats in 2009, the usage trended after a tweeter posted a fake Bollywood news site screenshot on the "high-profile" breakup of Italian-American actor Julia Fox and American rapper Kanye West aka Ye.
The screenshot of Julia opening up on the "difficult relationship" quoted her as saying, "He didn't like when I went goblin mode". And the goblin rose to stardom. Well, the goblins are quite an interesting subject to research.
A goblin is defined as a "mischievous, ugly, dwarf-like creature of folklore". The word was derived from the French gobelin, which may have evolved from the German kobold or "a spirit who haunts houses or lives underground in caves or mines". Linguists believe the word's roots probably lie in the ancient Greek kobalos, a mythical 'mischievous spirit'.
"Goblin behaviour can range from mild pranks to acts of outright terror," writes Sam George, associate professor of research at the University of Hertfordshire, in an amusing article for The Conversation journal.
Delving into "goblin lore", Sam quotes mythology expert Theresa Bane as saying "a house goblin will work against the family living there, making their life more difficult by banging on pots and pans, knocking on doors and walls and rearranging items in the house".
I love the line she picks from Christina Rossetti’s 1862 poem Goblin Market: "One had a cat's face, one whisked a tail, one tramped at a rat's pace, one crawled like a snail. One like a wombat prowled obtuse and furry, one like a ratel tumbled hurry skurry."
Sam concludes by offering some food for thought with a wicked twist. Goblins, she believes, are vapid -- "they're not sexy -- or aspirational". Considering that the world is just shaking off the pandemic inertia, going "vampire mode" would be a better idea, she suggests.
New-gen vampires, she highlights, are "sparkling, aspirational sex symbols". They are "attractive, cool, youthful and partake in normal human social behaviour", she adds.
So, what would you choose, goblin or vampire?
Okay, time for me to sort this out. Wish you a mischievous week ahead.
Word of the Year 2022 of other popular dictionaries
Cambridge -- Homer: "short for home run: a point scored in baseball when you hit the ball, usually out of the playing field, and are able to run around all the bases at one time to the starting base", courtesy "Wordle effect".
Collins -- Permacrisis: "a term that describes an extended period of instability and insecurity", courtesy the "ongoing crises the UK and the world have faced and continue to face, including political instability, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and the cost-of-living crisis".
Merriam-Webster -- Gaslighting: 1) "psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator";
2) "The act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one's own advantage", courtesy "a 1,740% increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year".