'GIF' chosen as word of the year

GIF是"圖形交換格式"這三個英文單詞首字母的縮寫.最早在1987年由美國在線信息服務機構"計算機服務"公布,但它近些年在文化領域強勢復蘇,最常用于對從體育到美國大選等熱門話題的詼諧評論.

GIF is, in fact, an abbreviation of three separate words: Graphics Interchange Format. It was first released by CompuServe in 1987 but has experienced a dramatic cultural resurgence in recent years, most commonly used to make humorous commentary on topics ranging from sports to the 2012 presidential election.

今年GIF正式獲選為《牛津美國辭典》的年度詞匯,在文化辭典中擁有了榮耀的一席之地.

"GIF" has been chosen as word of the year by the Oxford American Dictionary. It now formally holds an honored place in the cultural lexicon.

"GIF已經從流行文化基因的媒介發展成為有多種用途的工具,包括于用于研究領域以及新聞業,而它在詞匯方面的定位也在隨之改變." 牛津大學美國辭典項目負責人凱瑟琳?馬丁說："GIF在2012年成為詞匯的里程碑,作為動詞當選年度詞匯,而不僅僅是名詞."

"The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace." said Katherine Martin, head of the US dictionaries program at Oxford. "GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun."

年度詞匯榜單的第二位也是一個縮寫——YOLO,意思是"你只有一輩子可活".入選年度名單的還有"超級風暴",該詞因為在11月的第一周橫掃美國東岸的桑迪颶風而大量被人們提及.

The runner-up for the word of the year was also an abbreviation, "YOLO," which stands for "You only live once." "Superstorm" was another runner-up for word of the year, after the major storm that affected the Eastern US during the first week of November.

毫無疑問,以上三個詞匯都表明了新詞正對文化景觀產生越來越大的影響.另外,一些舊有詞匯也被賦予新的語義.源自羅馬詞匯plebs（平民、民眾）的Pleb在現代語境中用來形容普通人或者工人階級,含有貶義.

Needless to say, having all three words shows how neologisms are having a growing influence in the cultural landscape. Still, some older words have found new linguistic relevance. "Pleb," taken from the Roman word "plebs," has found a modern context in its derogatory usage to describe "a member of the ordinary people or working classes."

有趣的是,即便當選年度詞匯,也不能保證入選的詞匯將來都會被收錄進《牛津英語辭典》.

Interestingly, the word-of the-year distinction does not guarantee that the chosen words will actually be included in future editions of the Oxford English Dictionary.

詞語解釋：

強勢 （qiángshì） mighty

詼諧 （huīxié） humorous

一席之地 （yī xí zhī dì） a place

榜單 （bǎngdān） ranking list

颶風 （jùfēng） hurricane; storm

賦予 （fùyǔ） give

(Source: myechinese.com)