The paper describes the results of the project "Keywords" led at the University of Warsaw against the background of similar projects in other countries. The Polish project consists of several subprojects: 1) everyday monitoring of word frequency in Polish newspapers on a purely statistical basis, 2) monthly selection of words from the words of the highest keyness and comments on them written by the project team, 3) Polish words of the year by a jury of linguists, and 4) annual online poll for the Polish word of the year and selection of WOTY by the panel of experts (see more in Polish: Słowa…, 2019).
If we take Polish words of the last couple of years, they divide into several lexical fields. Some referred to local disputes as:
- PREZYDENCJA (leadership in the EU) 2011,
- PARABANK (a shadow banking system) 2012,
- KILOMETRÓWKA ('mileage' in kilometres; some Polish MEP claimed unjustified mileage reimbursement), SEPARATYSTA (separatists in Eastern Ukraine) 2014,
- TRYBUNAŁ (constitutional court captured by the government) and 500+ (government's program providing families with 500 zloty benefit for children) 2016,
- 2016, PUSZCZA (wild forest, word reflecting the wasteful exploitation of the natural environment) and REZYDENT (protest od resident doctors) in 2017,
- KONSYTUCJA ("constitution" - written on banners during anti-government demonstrations) 2018.
Some words bring up a general border-crossing discourse as:
- GENDER 2013,
- UCHODŹCA' refugee' 2015,
- KLIMAT (climate) and LGBT+ 2019,
- KORONAWIRUS (coronavirus) 2020, or
- SZCZEPIENIE (vaccination) 2021.
These words and their cognates won polls in many countries. Besides various pandemic-related words (e.g. VAX, ANTIVAX, COVID, PANDEMIC), among universal words of the year in European polls were SELFIE in 2013 and 2014 and POST TRUTH in 2016.
After the project presentation a question will be asked which words or expressions are the most important for the speaking community at a given time. An approach to such words or expressions can be keywords. They can be defined and analyzed statistically (e.g. Guiraud 1954), lexically or pragmatically, based on the speech act's context (Wierzbicka 1997).
Polls and statistical computation can only serve as an approximate answer to this question. For example, statistic calculations report recurring events and feasts, such as school final exams or holidays. On the other hand, public opinion focuses on the most recent actions, often missing what happened earlier or has a long-lasting impact.
Online polls usually favour words for concrete objects and events or politicians' lapses and catchphrases. Expert juries bring out a more profound symbolism of long-lasting abstract keywords. However, pandemics and COVID-related words marked experts' choices and web polls recently. The war in Ukraine will probably be another topic that reflects in polls in the nearest future.
Classification of WOTY according to meaning and reference, assessment, sentiment, degree of adaptation, and word formation structure can select a prototype social keyword. Word of the year poll approach creates a new methodology or complements the existing methodology of describing the discourse.
References:
Guiraud Pierre, Les caractéres statistiques du vocabulaire, Paris 1954.
Słowa dnia, słowa miesiąca, słowa roku, eds. M. Kwiecień, M. Łaziński, Warszawa 2019, http://www.slowanaczasie.uw.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Slowa-roku-E-BOOK.pdf,
Wierzbicka A., Understanding Cultures through Their Key Words, Oxford 1997.
