All Of It (WNYC)

Episode: "Merriam-Webster’s Word of 2023"

Aired: November 30, 2023
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Peter Sokolowski, Editor-at-Large, Merriam-Webster

Episode Overview

This episode explores language, culture, and the evolving nature of English, centering on Merriam-Webster’s 2023 Word of the Year: “authentic.” Host Alison Stewart welcomes Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor-at-large, to unpack the choice of "authentic," its cultural resonance, and how dictionary entries—and language as a whole—mirror social change. The episode is interactive, with listeners calling in to share their own "words of the year" and language observations. The conversation also touches on new dictionary additions, food words, and how slang and usage trends shape modern English.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why "Authentic" for 2023?

[02:30 – 04:39]

• Definition & Abstractness:
  • "Authentic" topped lookups among 500,000+ Merriam-Webster entries.
  • It’s “not false or imitation; a synonym of the words real and actual,” and “true to one's own personality, spirit or character.”
    — Peter Sokolowski [03:36]
• Difficulty of Defining Abstract Qualities:
  • Abstract values (“integrity,” “authentic,” etc.) are frequently searched.
  • "Abstract ideas are harder to define than concrete words... For chair or table, it's interesting, but when you're talking about ideas, it gets a little bit more complicated."
    — Peter Sokolowski [03:36]
• Why It Resonates Now:
  • The rise of AI, concerns about “realness,” digital personas, curated content, and current social debates about identity all contribute to its relevance.

2. Selecting the Word of the Year

[05:34 – 08:42]

• It’s All About Data:
  • Online lookup statistics drive the pick: "It's a statistical measure... We have 100 million page views per month."
  • News events can cause spikes—e.g., “paparazzi” after Princess Diana’s death—either for word mechanics (spelling, etc.) or cultural/encyclopedic queries about common words.
    — Peter Sokolowski [05:39]
• "Authentic" Wasn’t Linked to One News Event:
  • Unlike “vaccine” in 2021, “authentic” reflected a broad, sustained cultural focus.

3. The Influence of AI and Technology

[08:02 – 08:42]

• “Authentic has become the sort of counterpoint to AI,” reflecting society’s search for the “real” in a year dominated by artificiality, deepfakes, and questions about originality and identity.
  — Peter Sokolowski [08:05]

4. Listener Engagement—Words of the Year

[09:12 – 13:29]

• Slang of the Year:
  • Listener Catherine picks “slay”—“Taylor Swift slays.” [09:23]
• Community Picks:
  • Words listeners nominated: "sweet spot," "superpower," "secret sauce," "AI," "gifting," "leaning in," "diametric," "divergent," “agency,” and even “swifty” (for Taylor Swift fans).
• Discussion on Officialness:
  • “If a word is used frequently by many people, then it goes into the dictionary. We're not here to judge the language...better to think of the job of a lexicographer as a journalist or historian.”
    — Peter Sokolowski [09:38]

5. How Usage Shapes the Dictionary

[10:18 – 12:05]

• Words often change meaning as popular usage shifts (“literally,” “nonplussed,” etc.).
• Sokolowski calls “nonplussed” a “skunked” word: “If I see it in an article, I’m not really sure what is meant by the author anymore because this word is so frequently encountered in two different ways.”
  — Peter Sokolowski [10:49]

6. Crisis of Authenticity vs. Age of Identity

[13:45 – 15:36]

• The concept of “authentic” is loaded:
  • Crisis of authenticity (fake news, AI)
  • Age of identity (pronouns, cultural terms, authenticity in branding and influencer culture).
  • “We're so focused on identity... Taylor Swift mentioned her authentic self... Elon Musk, who said he prefers social media posts that are ‘authentic.’”
    — Peter Sokolowski [13:45]
• Social media creates “a performance of authenticity,” making it hard to distinguish what’s truly authentic.

7. New Words: Food, Slang, and Borrowings

[16:28 – 18:25]

• Many new entries are cuisine-related, reflecting cultural exchange and culinary specificity:
  • Italian terms like “lardo,” “nduja,” and “guanciale” now make the dictionary.
  • “The world becomes smaller, our palates become larger...now the sort of specific terms of the marketplace or really the country cuisine, not the city cuisine.”
    — Peter Sokolowski [16:28]

8. Evolving Usage—“Curated,” “Peruse,” and Janus Words

[18:39 – 21:58]

• Listeners note irritation at overused contemporary terms like “curated,” now extending beyond formal museum use—a case of abstraction in digital culture.
• “Peruse” now means both “to read carefully” and “to skim”—a Janus word with two opposite definitions, adding to language ambiguity.

9. The Rise of Slang

[21:58 – 23:28]

• Slang in Focus: “Riz” (from “charisma,” meaning romantic appeal or charm) entered the dictionary this year.
  • "Riz is now in the dictionary, the definition romantic appeal or charm... It's used a little bit in that meaning."
    — Peter Sokolowski [22:16]
• English’s stress patterns play a role in which slang syllables are remembered and used.

10. Notable Runners-Up:

[24:00 – 25:15]

• “Deepfake” — reflecting concerns over artificiality and trust in media.
• “Dystopian” — linked to AI fears, climate disasters, and popular post-apocalyptic entertainment (“The Last of Us”).
• The dictionary “measures the news” but also how society understands and interacts with language.

11. Language’s Ongoing Evolution

[27:17 – 28:18]

• New words like “blog” or “deepfake” emerge easily; changing meanings of old words (“literally,” “transformational,” “curate”) provoke more controversy.
• “We can curate our own vocabulary... What this tells me is that words matter and that people do pay attention... This is all a continuing story and the language continues to evolve.”
  — Peter Sokolowski [27:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On defining difficult concepts:
  “Abstract ideas are harder to define than concrete words... However, our definitions, the two that count for authentic, are refreshingly simple.” — Peter Sokolowski [03:36]

• On the function of lexicographers:
  “We're not here to judge the language. We're not the police... It's better to think of the job of a lexicographer as a journalist or historian.” — Peter Sokolowski [09:38]

• On shifting meanings:
  “If a lot of people use a word to mean a specific thing, then that's simply what the word means. And that does bend some of the language.”
  — Peter Sokolowski [10:49]

• On authenticity and influence:
  "We're living in a kind of crisis of authenticity... But we're also living in a kind of age of identity... The new gold standard for advertising online — the influencers — are valued... for their appearance of authenticity." — Peter Sokolowski [13:45]

• On language change:
  “Language never stays still. It's always changing... The terms that are absorbed without controversy are new terms... But what's interesting to me is we will always hear complaints about terms like transformative or curate or literally.” — Peter Sokolowski [27:25]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:31 – Show overview and introduction to the topic of language
• 02:30 – Introduction of Peter Sokolowski; “authentic” as Word of the Year
• 03:36 – Defining “authentic” and why it’s difficult to pin down
• 05:34 – How Merriam-Webster picks the Word of the Year
• 08:05 – “Authentic” as a counterpoint to AI and deepfakes
• 09:12 – Listener call: Catherine selects “slay” as her word of the year
• 10:18 – Discussion on evolving meanings: “nonplussed,” “literally”
• 13:45 – Why “authentic” means so much today (identity, social media)
• 16:28 – Peter on food words and the global palate
• 18:39 – Listener Richard calls out “curated”; evolving definitions
• 21:22 – “Peruse” and Janus words
• 22:16 – “Riz” and the prominence of slang
• 24:00 – Runners-up: “deepfake,” “dystopian”
• 25:21 – Listener concern about “transformative” vs. “transformational”
• 27:17 – How and why language always changes

Final Takeaways

• “Authentic” was chosen for 2023 because it encapsulates cultural anxieties about truth, originality, and personal identity in a digital, AI-driven age.
• Language is both a mirror of society and a living system, shaped by use, technology, and the global community.
• This episode highlights how words evolve, why some shifts spark controversy, and invites listeners to participate in the ongoing story of English.