'Aatmanirbharta’ chosen as the Hindi Word of the Year by Oxford

  • Oxford Languages has chosen ‘Aatmanirbharta’ or self-reliance as its Hindi word of the year for 2020.
  • The 2019 Oxford Hindi word of the year was “Samvidhaan”. 

OXFORD'S WORD OF THE YEAR

  • Oxford’s Word of the Year is a word or an expression that has attracted a great deal of interest in the preceding year. 
  • For 2020, Oxford Languages has not chosen a single word in English since they believe that the year cannot be summed up using one single word.
  • Therefore, this year they have released a report titled, “Words of an Unprecedented Year” in which they have analyzed themes such as COVID-19 and terms related to it.
  • In 2019, the English word of the year was “climate emergency”.
  • A word should have become more prominent in the last 12 months for it to be chosen.

WHY ATMANIRBHARTA?

  • The Oxford Hindi Word of the Year is a word or expression that is chosen to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.
  • Oxford Languages has selected ‘Aatmanirbharta’ as the Hindi word of the year for 2020 since the term saw a significant increase in its usage, “highlighting its increased prominence as a phrase and concept in the public lexicon”, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation in May 2020.
  • In this address, Modi announced the COVID-19 recovery package that emphasised the need to be self-reliant as a country, economy and as a society of individuals.

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