Oxford launches first-ever Hindi word of the year

Oxford Dictionaries will have a Hindi word of the year for 2017.

The Hindi word of the year will be a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest this year. The chosen word should reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the year. It is not necessarily a new word, but should be one that is strongly linked somehow to 2017.

This word of the year will be announced in January 2018.

Oxford Dictionaries has called on Hindi speakers across the country to help choose the word. Submissions need to be made before November 29.

Following the public suggestions, the word will be chosen by the Hindi Dictionaries team at Oxford University Press (OUP) along with an advisory panel of language experts who each bring a unique perspective.

The panel includes writer-publisher Namita Gokhle, Indian language expert Kritika Agrawal, journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, senior editorial manager at OUP India Malika Ghosh, and Ranchi University associate professor Poonam Nigam Sahay.

Kritika Agrawal, language champion for Oxford's Hindi Living Dictionary, says that the Hindi word of the year is a big leap forward for the Hindi language as it aims to highlight the social and cultural relevance of Hindi in the current context.

"It is the campaign's endeavour to alter perceptions about languages being a living intangible heritage and not merely a static tool of communication. I am delighted to be a part of, and to promote, a wonderful initiative as this," she says.

Oxford says it has been creating dictionaries for over 150 years and its dictionary editors in India and around the world have developed expertise in monitoring how language is used by real people.

"To further supplement our research we're both calling on Hindi speakers across India to send us their word of the year suggestions and consulting with a panel of experts from a range of backgrounds," it says.