Vocabulary: Language and new words 語(yǔ)言和新詞

If you're studying a foreign language, you'll know that learning vocabulary can often be a painstaking process. After all, there are thousands upon thousands of words, expressions and idioms to learn.

But sometimes, new words appear that can confound even native speakers. Each year, a new set of neologisms is added to the dictionary, reflecting the changing tastes and habits of a nation.

Members of the public were invited to submit new words and phrases to the Collins online dictionary, around 80 of which were chosen to appear in the new edition. They range from slang or colloquial terms, to words describing food, technology or scientific ideas.

For example, a young person might describe something as 'totes amazeballs'; a phrase which has evolved from "totally amazing" and has been popularized by characters in teenage reality programmes. If you're happy about a situation, perhaps you might be 'made up'; if not, you may end up telling someone to 'jog on,' or go away.

Some of the words added may be a little more familiar. 'Facebook' is one of the world’s biggest social media websites, so it’s not surprising that it has made it into the dictionary. Similarly, terms such as 'SMS' and 'Twitterer' reflect the ever-advancing technological age in which we live.

Maybe you know a 'bridezilla', a play on words to describe a woman whose behaviour in planning her wedding is intolerable. If you're health conscious, you might be filling your supermarket trolley with superfoods.

Sometimes, learning a language can be tough and, with new words being added all the time, don't panic if you find that you've forgotten the name of something. Now, you can safely call it an oojamaflip, instead.