[dropcap]O[/dropcap]xford Dictionaries will now have a Hindi Word of the Year for 2017.
The Hindi word of the year will be a word or phrase that has aroused great interest this year. The word chosen should reflect the ethos, mood or concerns of the year. It is not necessarily a new word, but it should be one that is somehow connected with 2017.
This word of the year will be announced in January 2018.
Oxford dictionaries has called on Hindi speakers across the country to help in the choice of the word. Submissions must be made before November 29th.
Following public suggestions, the Oxford University Press (OUP) Hindi Dictionaries Team will select the word along with an advisory panel of language experts, each with a unique perspective.
The panel consists of writer and publisher Namita Gokhle, Indian language expert Kritika Agrawal, journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, chief editor-in-chief of OUP India Malika Ghosh, and professor Poonam Nigam Sahay of Ranchi University.
Kritika Agrawal, language champion for the Oxford Hindi Living Dictionary, says that the Hindi word of the year is a big leap forward for the Hindi language, as it aims to highlight the social and cultural relevance of Hindi in the current context.
“Campaigns are seeking to change perceptions about languages as a living immaterial heritage and not just as a static tool of communication, and I look forward to being a wonderful initiative as part of it and promoting it,” she says.
Oxford says it has been creating dictionaries for over 150 years, and its dictionary editors in India and around the world have developed expertise in monitoring the usage of real people.
“To further complement our research, we called on Hindi speakers throughout India to send us their word of the year suggestions and advice from a range of expert juries,” it said.