NEW YORK: "Change", the most-used term during the US presidential campaign, "financial tsunami" and "Barack Obama" have been named words and phrases of the year by a global survey.
According to the Global Language Monitor (GLM), "change" is the top word, "financial tsunami" is top phrase, and "Barack Obama" is top name in its annual global survey of the English language.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and supermodel wife Carla Bruni were named the best couple.
The analysis was completed using GLM's predictive quantities indicator, the proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in the media and on the Internet. The words are tracked in relation to frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets, factoring in long-term trends, short-term changes, momentum and velocity.
"Global English has been driven by three notable events during the course of 2008 -- the US Presidential election, the financial tsunami, and the Beijing Olympics," said GLM president Paul J J Payack.
"For 2008, our words were culled from throughout the English-speaking world which now numbers some 1.58 billion speakers and includes such diverse cultures as India, China, Philippines, and the Euro Zone," he said.
"Bailout" and "Obamamania", describing the worldwide reaction to Obama's campaign and subsequent victory in the US presidential race, came second and third in the top word list.
"Phelpsian", a new word coined to describe the feat of swimmer Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, and "Chinglish", a Chinese-English language hybrid that Beijing tried to stamp out before the Olympics began also found a place in that list.
"Global warming" and Obama's "Yes We Can" followed "financial tsunami" in the top phrase list.
The top names list included George W Bush, Phelps, Hilary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, U2 front man Bono, Sarah Palin and singer Beyonce.
The GLM put the estimated number of words in the English language at 998,751, just 1,249 from the million-word mark.
