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每一年牛津高中英语电子教材，《牛津英语词典》都会评选出一个最具代表性的年度词汇，但是今年，《牛津英语词典》却表示，没有办法用一个词汇来概括2020年，他们实在是选不出来。

Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has been unable to name its traditional word of the year for 2020, instead exploring how far and how quickly the language has developed this year.

《牛津英语词典》无法选出传统的年度词汇，而是探讨了今年英语语言发展的程度之深、速度之快。

“It quickly became apparent that 2020 is not a year that could neatly be accommodated in one single ‘word of the year,'” the OED said, with the language adapting “rapidly and repeatedly.”

《牛津英语词典》称，由于语言“一次又一次地快速”适应社会变化，“很快我们就发现，2020年显然不能用一个年度词汇来概括”。

The report, titled “Words of an Unprecedented Year,” uses an adjective that has itself seen a big spike in use during 2020.

这份报告的标题是“史无前例的一年的词汇”，采用了一个2020年使用量大增的形容词（Unprecedented）。

“Though what was genuinely unprecedented this year was the hyper-speed at which the English-speaking world amassed a new collective vocabulary relating to the coronavirus, and how quickly it became, in many instances, a core part of the language,” the report reads.

报告写道：“今年英语世界中和新冠病毒有关的新词积累的速度确实是史无前例，在很多情况下，这些词还以史无前例的速度成为了英语的核心部分。”

It moves through the year, detailing the most important words in certain months, based on spikes in use, from “bushfire” in January, when Australia suffered its worst fire season on record, to “acquittal” in February, when US President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial ended.

该报告详述了这一年的特定月份中基于使用量增长情况的最重要词汇，从一月份的“丛林火灾”（澳大利亚当时遭遇了史上最严重的火灾季）牛津高中英语电子教材，到二月份的“无罪判决”（指的是美国总统特朗普的弹劾案终结）。

From March onward, terms related to the coronavirus pandemic start to dominate, including “Covid-19,” a completely new word, first recorded on February 11; “lockdown,” “social distancing” and “reopening.”

从三月份开始，和新冠疫情有关的词汇开始占据主导地位，包括全新词汇“新冠肺炎”（2月11日首次记载）、“封锁”、“社交隔离”和“重新开放”。

In June, use of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” exploded, followed by “cancel culture” and “BIPOC,” an abbreviation of “Black, indigenous and other people of color.”

六月份牛津高中英语电子教材，“黑人的命也是命”这一短语的使用量暴增牛津高中英语电子教材：史无前例！《牛津英语词典》2020年度词汇实在选不出来，其次是“取消文化”和缩写“BIPOC”（指黑人、原住民和其他有色人种）。

“Mail-in” and “Belarusian” were both flagged as words of the month for August, referring to mail-in voting for the US election and the controversial reelection of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, respectively.

八月份的热门词汇是“邮寄选票”和“白俄罗斯的”，分别指邮寄美国大选选票和白俄罗斯总统亚历山大·卢卡申科在争议中再次当选。

“Moonshot,” the name the UK government gave to its mass coronavirus testing program, appears in September, while “net zero” and “superspreader” are highlighted in October.

九月份的热词是“登月”，指的是英国政府给大规模新冠测试项目取的名字。十月份的热词则是“净零”和“超级传播者”。

Net zero refers to Chinese government’s pledge that the country will be carbon neutral by 2060, and superspreader, a word that dates to the 1970s, according to the OED, saw a spike in use after a cluster of Covid-19 cases at the White House.

“净零”指的是中国政府承诺中国将在2060年前实现碳中和。据《牛津英语词典》记载，“超级传播者”一词起源于上世纪70年代，在白宫出现新冠聚集性感染之后该词的使用量大增。

The OED named “climate emergency” as word of the year in 2019, and “toxic” in 2018.

《牛津英语词典》将“气候紧急状态”评选为2019年度词汇，而2018年度词汇是“有毒的”。