French, by most estimates the world’s fifth most spoken language, is changing — perhaps not in the gilded hallways of the institution in Paris that publishes its official dictionary, but on a rooftop in Abidjan, the largest city in Ivory Coast. There one afternoon, a 19-year-old rapper who goes by the stage name “Marla” rehearsed […]
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Oxford’s 2023 Word of the Year Is … ‘Rizz’
Grathwohl guessed, correctly, that the contest would ultimately come down to “Swiftie” vs. “rizz.” Which it did, but only after “de-influencing” (the practice of discouraging people from buying particular products, or reducing their consumption more generally) made a strong run at knocking out “Swiftie.” As for “rizz,” Grathwohl said the word has some interesting features. […]
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