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| Millionth English word 'looming' | Millionth English word 'looming' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A US company which monitors internet traffic predicts that the millionth new English word will be coined imminently. | |
| Global Language Monitor searches for new words and once a word has been used 25,000 times, it recognises it. | Global Language Monitor searches for new words and once a word has been used 25,000 times, it recognises it. |
| By calculating that a new word is created in English every 98 minutes, it estimates that the millionth word will be recognised at 1022 GMT. | |
| However, traditional dictionary makers are casting doubt on the claim and the methods behind it. | However, traditional dictionary makers are casting doubt on the claim and the methods behind it. |
| GLM, based in Texas, makes its money telling organisations how often they are mentioned in new media, such as the internet. | GLM, based in Texas, makes its money telling organisations how often they are mentioned in new media, such as the internet. |
| What they can also do is search for newly coined words. | What they can also do is search for newly coined words. |
| Once a word has been used 25,000 times on social networking sites and such like, GLM declares it be a new word. | Once a word has been used 25,000 times on social networking sites and such like, GLM declares it be a new word. |
| Landmark doubted | Landmark doubted |
| However, lexicographers - dictionary professionals - doubt the GLM claim. | However, lexicographers - dictionary professionals - doubt the GLM claim. |
| Dictionaries have tighter criteria about what constitutes a new word - for example, it has to be used over a certain period of time. | Dictionaries have tighter criteria about what constitutes a new word - for example, it has to be used over a certain period of time. |
| Lexicographers say the exact size of the English vocabulary is impossible to quantify, but if every technical term or obscure specialist word is accepted then we are already beyond one million. | Lexicographers say the exact size of the English vocabulary is impossible to quantify, but if every technical term or obscure specialist word is accepted then we are already beyond one million. |
| And if the inclusion of specialist slang is restricted, then there are possibly three quarters of a million words in English. | And if the inclusion of specialist slang is restricted, then there are possibly three quarters of a million words in English. |
| All of which is way beyond the 20-40,000 words a fluent speaker would use, or the few thousand you could get by with in English. | All of which is way beyond the 20-40,000 words a fluent speaker would use, or the few thousand you could get by with in English. |
| But with 1.5 billion people speaking some version of English, it is small wonder it is the fastest growing language in the world. | But with 1.5 billion people speaking some version of English, it is small wonder it is the fastest growing language in the world. |
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