Learning English

Rob
Hello! Welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary. I’m Rob.

Catherine
And I’m Catherine. And today we’re talking about new words.

Rob
Yes, new words in English. We’ll look at where they come from, why we need them and who uses them.

Catherine
We’ll have a quiz; and we’ll also bring you a top tip for learning vocabulary.

Rob
But first, here’s Iris, talking about a photograph she took.

Catherine
And here’s a question: is Iris happy with her photo?

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Iris
So here’s a selfie from a flashmob I went to – there’s everyone dancing and stuff, and that’s my idiot boyfriend at the back: he decided to photobomb me! It’s quite funny though… I put it on my social networks – but the trolls said we looked stupid! I don’t care though, I like it.

STING

Rob
So that’s Iris. And she said she liked the photo.

Catherine
Good. Now there were a few words there which are quite new in English. Let’s have a look at some of them. Listen again to Iris. Two questions this time. One: what type of photo did she take and two: where was she?

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So this is a selfie from a flashmob I went to…

Catherine
Iris took a selfie, and she was at a flashmob. Let’s take those words one at a time.

Rob
Yes, first of all, a very popular word now, selfie. That’s a photograph you take of yourself, by holding your camera or phone out in front of you at arm’s length.

Catherine
Yeah, selfie. Take many selfies Rob?

Rob
Absolutely not, no.

Catherine
None at all?

Rob
Don’t want to look at myself, thank you.

Catherine
But where does the word selfie come from? Well the word self-portrait has been around for a long time. It means ‘a picture you draw or paint of yourself’. So selfie probably comes from that.

Rob
And that’s one way words come into English. Get an old word, change it to fit a new situation and you’ve got a new word like selfie. And that’s one reason why we need new words – to talk about new situations, like all these self-portraits that everyone’s taking.

Catherine
Yeah, good. Now another way to make a new word for a new situation is to get two old words and put them together. Iris was at a flashmob. Now, a flashmob is a crowd of people who gather together quickly and suddenly – it’s often organised through social media. Now the word flash can mean ‘something that happens very quickly’, and a mob is a crowd of people. So when you put them together, you’ve got the perfect new word for the situation. Ever been on a flashmob Rob?

Rob
I’m afraid not, no one’s invited me actually.

Catherine
Really? I’ll invite you on the next one I go on.

Rob
Thank you. Anyway, you’ve probably noticed that these words are mostly made by people on social media. It’s not the only place that new words come from, but a lot of new words are coming from social media at the moment.

Catherine
Next example. Iris’s boyfriend jumped into her selfie at the last minute. He’s actually in the photo even though she wasn't expecting him to be! And here’s the word for it:

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…and that’s my idiot boyfriend at the back: he decided to photobomb me!

Rob
So: photobomb. That’s a new word made from two old words: photo, obviously, and bomb, the thing that suddenly explodes. And we’ve got similar new words like weatherbomb…

Catherine
That’s a sudden period of extreme weather, and then there’s thoughtbomb where people get together and, basically – think!

Rob
Yes, that’s a new word for what we used to call ‘brainstorm’...?

Catherine
It is, yes. Very similar.

Good, right, OK. Well now, Iris used another new word to describe people who post horrible comments on social media. Listen carefully to this:

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I put it on my social networks – but the trolls said we looked stupid!

Rob
A person who posts negative comments on social media is called a troll. And troll is actually an old word for an imaginary creature – a kind of monster. You find lots of trolls in old Scandinavian stories – and the word’s been around in English for a long time.

Catherine
So an old word, with a new meaning – but there’s a link there to the original meaning isn’t there Rob?

Rob
Yes that’s right, because both kinds of troll are quite ugly in their own way – either in their looks or behaviour.

IDENT
6 Minute Vocabulary from BBC Learning English.

Rob
And we’re talking about new words. So Catherine, have you ever been trolled?

Catherine
Thankfully I haven’t Rob, I choose my friends very carefully on social media.

Rob
Good, good.

Catherine
Right, it’s quiz time! Question one: what’s the word for a group of people who gather together suddenly, and it’s normally organised on social media?

Rob
Any ideas? The word is flashmob. Question two: what word means: ‘jump into someone else’s photograph’?

Catherine
That’s photobomb. Finally, what’s the word for people who write nasty, negative comments online?

Rob
They are trolls. OK, well done if you got those right at home.

Catherine
Well done indeed. And now here’s a vocabulary tip. To keep your English right up-to-date, join some social media groups where people use English. Social media is a great place to pick up words and expressions that are in use, even though they’re not in the dictionary.

Rob
Yes, and new words are being invented all the time aren’t they?

Catherine
They are, yes.

Rob
OK, well there’s more about this at bbclearningenglish.com. You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook and many other social networks but, don’t troll us please.

Catherine
No.

Rob
OK. Join us again soon for more 6 Minute Vocabulary.

Both
Bye