Just what the hell is "muffin top"! Thursday, February 08, 2007
Well, it's a suprise (to me), "muffin top" is the winner of 2006, chosen by Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Committee. Macquarie Dictionary Online:
muffin top nounColloquial the fold of fat around the midriff which, on an overweight woman, spills out over the top of tight-fitting pants or skirts.
The Committee thought that the vivid imagery of this word with its sense of playfulness and the fact that it is an Australianism made it the clear winner.
According to the committee, this seems to be an Australian creation which has spread around the world, carried on by the popularity of Kath and Kim ( a very popular homegrown sitcom which I did not watch but should have!).
Mass media, in particular the entertainment industry and the internet have a big impact on the constantly evolving naunces/cultural norms of a community, and since language is inextricably linked to culture, it is not surprising that the mass media has become the big player in the revival of old words, or the emerging popularity of blending of existing words or newly coined words.
Come to think of it, the chosen word, like many other informal phrases such as bloody hell, silly bugger, bludger and so forth, well and truly reflect one of the key characteristic of Australian culture - a typically Australian form ofhumour which is closely associated with the Australian idea of ‘mateship’, as well as the more relaxed and larrikin attitude of Australian society.
If I may borrow from A Wierzbicka (1991, Cross-cultural Pragmatics: the Semantics of Human Interaction) that,
Sayingsomething bad about your mate is about sharing fun, rowdiness, and laughter,it is not intended to be hostile, it is a ‘friendly insult’,it promotes the feeling of intimacy.
My chosen word is on a more serious note - "Affluenza" which is given a honourable mention by the Committee.
noun the dissatisfaction that accompanies consumerism as a path to happiness.
The definition which seems current for the rest of the world is 'the psychological malaise suffered by wealthy young people with symptoms of lack of motivation and feelings of guilt'. In Australia the meaning has been generalised to cover a widespread social phenomenon, not just a malaise of the rich.
The Committee felt that this word framed a concept that was significant in the community and for which there was no other word. The coinage was neat, almost too neat, and, unlike many attempts at creating new words by blending, did lead to a reasonable grasp of the meaning from an analysis of its parts (affluent + influenza).
Each language articulates or organises the
world differently because different cultures take on different
emotions and attitudes when they conceptualise their experiences
or ideas and these are transmitted through their languages.
We must be equipped with an intercultural awareness besides
the language itself because target readers’ expectations
differ by their linguistic conventions as well as their cultural
norms... read more about this blog
