Words of the Year in 2020 – Extremely Unprecedented

We’re nearing the end of the year and the only words that spring to mind are, “Thank goodness.” (Actually, there were other words, but those two are more acceptable) What a terrible year it’s been. As politicians would say, it’s been extremely unprecedented. I reckon ‘unprecedented’ must be one of the most used words this year.

Words of the Year – There is Too Much Choice!

2020 has been awful for me and I know it’s been horrendous for many others too. At the beginning of the year, I started on a positive note, looking ahead with 2020 vision. I soon regretted having said that and halfway through I wanted to press a reset button.

The world has been hit with everything imaginable – a pandemic, floods, heatwaves and devastating forest fires. The only thing missing was a plague of locusts. Oh, wait, that happened too.

When Covid-19 hit, the world changed. Pandemic restrictions became the norm and most countries had to go into some form of a lockdown. Too many lives have been lost and so many people’s lives have been affected.

My year has had a mix of fear, stress, anger, frustration and sorrow. I shed tears for people, some of whom I knew well, some I didn’t know at all. 2020 has left a large gaping hole in a lot of people’s lives.

Some Words Have Stood Out This Year

Every year, dictionaries look at new or trendsetting words to decide on a word of the year. But this year, so many words have stood out. Some of those words we’ve never had to use before. Some, we hope, won’t need to be used for much longer.

Word of the Year 2020 -Unprecendented

To say that 2020 is unprecedented is a wee bit of an understatement, therefore, that word really deserves to take the top spot as word of the year.

However, we have been spoiled for choice!

Other Words of the Year for 2020

Here are a few of my other suggestions (in no particular order).

Pandemic

Who thought they would witness a global pandemic in the 21st century? I had certainly never even given it a thought. But here we are in 2020 dealing with covid-19. I hope to never witness another.

Stay safe

I’ve said and written those two words a lot this year.

Those are the words we use to show we care. We say them to people we know. We say them to strangers. We say them when we can’t hug people we love right now because their safety is what matters to us. Stay safe has also become the new way to sign off emails and greeting cards.

Social Distancing

Social distancing – did we even know what that was pre-2020? Now we try to gauge 2 metres between ourselves and strangers when we go to a supermarket. We talk to neighbours and friends from a distance. Distance is key. Distance is the difference between staying safe and not.

Self-Isolation

That was something only reserved for terrible, infectious diseases in the past. Then 2020 came along with a terrible infectious disease. If you have symptoms, the advice is, get tested, stay at home and self-isolate. It’s crucial to avoid spreading it.

Lockdown

Another word reserved for strange times and this has certainly been a strange time. Most of the world has been affected by some form of lockdown this year. Some have had fairly draconian rules put in place, others a bit less so.

Many people protested across the world about the measures. But governments didn’t choose to put their countries into lockdown without a great deal of thought. They knew the effect it would have on people and the economy. However, it was a choice of lives or money. Thankfully most governments chose lives.

Bubbles

Bubble baths? Kids blowing bubbles? Those things that float around my kitchen when I squeeze too much fairy liquid?

No, these bubbles are the pandemic bubbles. The bubbles which allowed a small group of friends or relatives to get together during the pandemic without any social distancing. They’ve prevented loneliness in many situations and allowed grandparents to see their grandchildren.

Superspreader

No matter what advice has been given from medical experts, some people ignore it. Meetings, parties, even political campaign rallies have been held which have helped the virus to spread rampantly.

Keyworkers

We learned how much we really needed keyworkers. 2020 has also shone the light onto medical professionals and some other occupations too -teachers, lorry drivers, shop workers, cleaners, food producers, postmen etc. Our country couldn’t run without those people. We clapped for them on a Thursday night. But, really, they deserve our thanks every day.

Furlough

Ok, I’ll admit something here. When the government first mentioned the word “furlough”, I looked it up in the dictionary because I had never heard of it before. Now it’s an everyday word. Furlough has allowed some businesses to stay afloat during lockdowns and has safeguarded some people’s jobs. It’s been very welcome assistance to many people.

Fake News

Oh…we’ve seen plenty of that this year and plenty of false allegations of it. Common sense normally sorts out the truth from the fiction, but common sense also seems to have escaped some people this year.

Black Lives Matter #BLM

Three words – three very important words. Those words have had to be used a lot this year.

Throughout history, black people have been treated badly. They’ve often been treated as though they’re an inferior race. That disgusts me. I am disgusted that slavery ever existed because that is just vile. But I’m even more disgusted that black people are still treated badly in some parts of the world (including here in the UK).

Racism exists and people are dying because of the colour of their skin. So until racism stops, those three words need to be said loud and clear. It’s 2020 and black people are still fighting for justice and equality. We all need to be in that fight together.

Nobody is suggesting that white lives don’t matter. Of course, they do. Of course, all lives matter. But until black people believe that their lives really do matter, then we need to say those three words. We need say them loudly enough to drown out racism.

A Wee Extra – A Song of the Year Because I Love the Words

I heard this song the other day and I have to be honest, I cried.

I wanted to share it with you, not to make you cry, but because it’s a beautiful song. It has beautiful words and features some amazingly talented young singers.

My Word of the Year for 2021 – HOPE

2021 hasn’t even started yet, but I’m choosing a word for it.

HOPE

Hope because we need it more than ever, don’t we?

We need to find hope and cling on to it.

We can’t let it go because we need to believe that 2021 will be better.

Christmas and New Year celebrations will be much different this year. People might be alone. Families might have to celebrate via Zoom because of the pandemic. It might be lonely. It will be sad for many people. But, please try to hold on to hope.

Take care and stay safe, everyone.