Calling Hindi-speaking wordsmiths: Oxford Uni Press are looking for ‘Hindi Word of the Year’

Calling Hindi-speaking wordsmiths: Oxford Uni Press are looking for 'Hindi Word of the Year'
Hindi Word of the Year is open to all Hindi-speaking people in India and beyond. Source: Shutterstock

Do you think of yourself as something of a Hindi afficionado? If the answer is yes, and you have a love for the Hindi language there is a task ahead for you.

Oxford University Press (OUP) are on the hunt for their first ever Hindi Word of the Year as part of their ongoing research into modern Hindi.  

Having recently made their Hindi dictionary available online, OUP are excited at the large number of Hindi-speakers who they can now connect with. 

Suggestions are open to all Hindi-speakers in India and further afield. The winning suggestion will be a word (or expression) that was popular over the last 12 months or has attracted a lot of attention or interest. 

It should reflect the “ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the year”. Suggested words do not necessarily have to be words coined within the last year, just ones that have some link to 2017. 

Following the exciting suggestions from you and others like you, the Word of the Year will be chosen by the Hindi Dictionaries team over at OUP, along with a group of specially selected language experts.

These experts include lawyer and Indian language expert Kritika Agrawal, journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, senior editorial manager at OUP India Malika Ghosh, author-publisher Namita Gokhle, and Ranchi University associate professor Poonam Nigam Sahay.

Kritika Agrawal, Language Champion for Oxford’s Hindi Living Dictionary said: “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.”

OUP is the world’s largest university press with a huge global reach and presence. Established in 1912, OUP India has now grown to be one of the largest publishers in the region. They are keen to continuing exploring the magic of the Hindi language and invite you to help them do so.

You can submit your suggestions on the Hindi Living Dictionaries or via the Hindi Dictionary Facebook page. The submissions close on 29 Nov, 2017 with the grand announcement coming in January 2018.

In future years, OUP have suggested they may look for a Word of the Year in other Indian languages.

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