With discussions of race, gender, sexuality and class permeating mainstream discussion recently (especially on college campuses), it’s not too surprising that Dictionary.com chose “identity” as its 2015 Word of the Year. The site, which keeps close track of data about which words are looked up and how often, takes note of common themes throughout the year before choosing which word best embodies a particular point in time. This year’s most prominent theme was “the expanding and increasingly fluid nature of conversations about gender and sexuality,” according to the site’s blog.
The site has also made changes and additions to words related to identity, in order to more accurately reflect how they are being used in actual discussion. For example, “identify” now also includes the common construction identify as. The term “gender expression” (“the external expression of gender roles, as through socially defined behaviors and ways of dressing”) has also been added. A new definition has been added for the term “code-switching”: “the modifying of one’s behavior, appearance, etc., to adapt to different sociocultural norms.”
Understanding of such terms and their uses and definitions play a key role in opening up discussions about changing perceptions of identity. “Increased awareness and openness in discussing gender identity ushers in language-related questions,” according to the site. “What is a person’s preferred pronoun? Is it grammatical to use they to refer to a person who falls outside the gender binary? What honorific do you use to show respect to a person who doesn’t identify as Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms.?”
Dictionary.com is constantly adding new words, even slang terms. “The dictionary has to be a living, breathing, changing thing because it reflects the English language, which is a living, breathing, ever-changing thing,” Jane Solomon, a lexicographer for the site, told Mic. This year alone has seen the addition of the words “agender“, “bigender,” and “gender-fluid.” And while terms are added, they are never deleted. “We view [each] word as a relic of the English language of when that word was spoken, and that’s just as valuable to us,” she added.
Dictionary.com cites Caitlyn Jenner’s appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair, Transparent’s Emmy wins, Miley Cyrus’s coming out as pansexual, and several women’s colleges opening their doors to trans women for the first time as just a few examples of why “identity” is such an appropriate choice for Word of the Year.
“We got some comments from users thanking us,” Solomon said of the new additions. “People who identified as one of the words we added, they were really thankful that they were there. There is some sense that if it’s in the dictionary, it’s legitimate.”
This word choice feels very relevant to us college students—We’re constantly exploring who we are, and who we want to be. Looks like the dictionary might be able to help us figure it out.