On the First “Canadian Word of the Year” Competition

Abstract

This collective piece recounts the delayed and somewhat haphazard but eventually decisive way towards a "Canadian Word of the Year" (CWOTY) 2025, which is intended as the first in a hopefully long series of CWOTYs, from a number of vantage points: The executive staff of the Society for Canadian English, UBC students—both undergraduate and graduate—and volunteers in Canadian Word Centre projects. The authors hope to contribute to a conversation that Al Purdy began in 1968, that we have forgotten about until about just now. Editor Elamin Abdelmahmoud and publishing agent Stephanie Sinclair remind us that it's a conversation we cannot do without. Here's our contribution, and, "Take pride, Canada."