September 3, 2018

SOAPBOX: Opinion piece by Jacinda Ardern 

The PM and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage calls for art for the many, not the few. 

The word of the year is a tradition where dictionary-makers chose one word each year that reflects the mood of the moment. 

In 2017, amidst the turbulence and turmoil that was the #Metoo movement Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was “feminism”. Collins stretched things a bit with a two-word word of the year – “fake news” – while over at Oxford “youthquake” took top honours. 

Back in 2014 the Merriam-Webster word with more “lookups” than any other was “culture”. 

Explaining the reason behind it editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski said it was a word that “allows us to identify and isolate an idea, issue, or group with seriousness.” 

It’s also a word that, for me anyway, conjures up a myriad of different thoughts and images. It encompasses language, social habits, art, music, history, scholarly achievements…and so much more. [More]