Neography and Word of the Year

Abstract

The article deals with the relationship between the terms «word of the year» and «neologism of the year», and the examples are the words, annually nominating as «word of the year», and neologisms of the last few years. The main research methods are statistical, comparative, and lexicographic description. Usually nomination «Word of the year» presents words, long-existing in the Russian language, borrowings, as well as author’s occasionalisms. The cultural and social aspects prevail in this campaign, while linguistic aspects are not involved. It seems that the verbal image of the year is a more complex and mosaic phenomenon. It can be reconstructed with the help of representative linguistic data scrupulously collected by lexicographers.