{"id":40679,"date":"2020-12-31T10:54:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-31T15:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=40679"},"modified":"2020-12-31T10:54:33","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T15:54:33","slug":"lssus-annual-banished-words-list-covid-topics-reign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/31\/lssus-annual-banished-words-list-covid-topics-reign\/","title":{"rendered":"LSSU\u2019s annual Banished Words List – COVID topics Reign"},"content":{"rendered":"

People across the U.S. and around the world let Lake Superior State University know that they\u2019re tired not only of the coronavirus pandemic but also of hearing, reading, and talking about it\u2014especially when the communication is bad or excessive.<\/p>\n

COVID-19 terminology monopolized submissions for LSSU\u2019s annual Banished Words List this year. Out of 1,450-plus nominations, upwards of 250 of the words and terms suggested for banishment for overuse, misuse, or uselessness relate to the coronavirus. In fact, seven of the 10 words and terms that LSSU is banishing for 2021 are about it.<\/p>\n

Ranked No. 1 to get rid of is what started of all this: \u201cCOVID-19\u201d itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should surprise no one that this year\u2019s list was dominated by words and terms related to COVID-19,\u201d said Banished Words List committee members associate professor of English Mary McMyne, assistant professor of English Julie Barbour, and associate professor of English Dr. Chad Barbour. \u201cLSSU\u2019s Banished Words List has reflected signs of the times since debuting in the mid-1970s, and the zeitgeist this year is: We\u2019re all in this together by banishing expressions like \u2018We\u2019re all in this together.\u2019 To be sure, COVID-19 is unprecedented in wreaking havoc and destroying lives. But so is the overreliance on \u2018unprecedented\u2019 to frame things, so it has to go, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

LSSU has compiled an annual Banished Words List since 1976 to uphold, protect, and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clich\u00e9d, illogical, nonsensical\u2014and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating. Over the decades, LSSU has received tens of thousands of nominations for the list, which now totals more than 1,000 entries.<\/p>\n

This year, nominations came from most major U.S. cities and many U.S. states, as well as from Australia, the Czech Republic, England, and Canada. Here are the list of the banished words and terms for 2021 and the reasons for their banishment:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. COVID-19<\/strong> (COVID, coronavirus, Rona)
    \nA large number of nominators are clearly resentful of the virus and how it has overtaken our vocabulary. No matter how necessary or socially and medically useful these words are, the committee cannot help but wish we could banish them along with the virus itself. Coincidentally, this list arrives as does a vaccine\u2014the committee hopes this proves a type of double whammy.<\/li>\n
  2. Social distancing<\/strong>
    \nThis phrase is useful, as wearing a mask and keeping your distance have a massive effect on preventing the spread of infection. But we\u2019d be lying if we said we weren\u2019t ready for this phrase to become \u201cuseless.\u201d With north of 50 nominations, many others clearly feel the same, and the tone of their reasoning ranged from impatient to heartfelt.<\/li>\n
  3. We\u2019re all in this together<\/strong>
    \nThis phrase was likely intended as a way to keep everyone feeling safe and calm at the start of the pandemic. However, as the virus made its way across the globe and nation, it became clear that we are all dealing with COVID-19 in different ways and that we confront some vastly different challenges in coping with it. As with many words that show up on the list, its usefulness has faded.<\/li>\n
  4. In an abundance of caution<\/strong> (various phrasings)
    \nYes, humanity needs to follow safeguards during COVID-19. The statistics are sobering: more than 342,000 deaths and more than 19 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and more than 1.8 million deaths and more than 82 million confirmed cases worldwide. But the phrasing about how to take preventative steps is vague. What is the standard measurement for caution, metric or U.S. standard?<\/li>\n
  5. In these uncertain times<\/strong> (various phrasings)
    \nThe committee agrees that COVID-19 has upended everyday life and wishes this weren\u2019t so. But putting things into imprecise context doesn\u2019t help matters. The blur dilutes reality and, to some, sounds like the beginning of a movie trailer. Keep as wide a berth of trite parlance as those who don\u2019t wear masks in public. What exactly does it mean for times to be uncertain? Look at a clock!<\/li>\n
  6. Pivot<\/strong>
    \nReporters, commentators, talking heads, and others from the media reference how everyone must adapt to the coronavirus through contactless delivery, virtual learning, curbside pickup, video conferencing, remote working, and other urgent readjustments. That\u2019s all true and vital. But basketball players pivot; let\u2019s keep it that way.<\/li>\n
  7. Unprecedented<\/strong>
    \nIt\u2019s unheard of that a word would be repeated on the Banished Words List. Actually, it\u2019s not. In the early years, words wound up repeated, although we try to avoid repetition nowadays. Despite the fact that \u201cunprecedented\u201d was banished in 2002, given that it was nominated many times this year for misuse in describing events that do have precedent, inclusion again seems warranted.<\/li>\n
  8. Karen<\/strong>
    \nWhat began as an anti-racist critique of the behavior of white women in response to Black and Brown people has become a misogynist umbrella term for critiquing the perceived overemotional behavior of women. As one nominator said about reasons for its banishment, \u201cI would tell you why, but I\u2019d sound like a Karen.\u201d Another critic observed, \u201cOffensive to all normal people named Karen.\u201d<\/li>\n
  9. Sus<\/strong>
    \nIt\u2019s a shortened version for \u201csuspicious\u201d in the video game Among Us. No committee members play, but our children who do explained that this multiplayer online social game is designed around identifying \u201csus\u201d imposters so they can be \u201cthrown into the lava.\u201d Complainers a) ask: How much effort does it take to say the entire word; and b) request: If that can\u2019t happen, confine the syllable to the gaming world.<\/li>\n
  10. I know, right?<\/strong>
    \nAn amusing phrase flooding social media, \u201cI know, right?\u201d is a relatively new construction to convey empathy with those who have expressed agreement. But as one wordsmith put it, if you know, why do you need to ask if it\u2019s correct or seek further approval? Another grammarian suggested that the desire for confirmation connotes insecurity. In other words, it\u2019s reiterating something already seconded.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cReal-world concerns preoccupied word watchdogs this year, first and foremost COVID-19, and that makes sense,\u201d said LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley. \u201cIn a small way, maybe this list will help \u2018flatten the curve,\u2019 which also was under consideration for banishment. We trust that your \u2018new normal\u2019\u2014another contender among nominations\u2014for next year won\u2019t have to include that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

    For more about the Banished Words List and to nominate a word or term for banishment for 2022, go online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    People across the U.S. and around the world let Lake Superior State University know that they\u2019re tired not only of the coronavirus pandemic but also of hearing, reading, and talking about it\u2014especially when the communication is bad or excessive. COVID-19 terminology monopolized submissions for LSSU\u2019s annual Banished Words List this year. Out of 1,450-plus nominations, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 01:02:30","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40680,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40679\/revisions\/40680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}