THE YEAR OF TWITTER:

Twitter is a winner.  The Global Language Monitor has named Twitter the top word of 2009.  Global Language Monitor President Paul JJ Payack said, quote, "In a year dominated by world-shaking political events, a pandemic, the after-effects of a financial tsunami and the death of a revered pop icon, the word Twitter stands above all the other words."  Here's a look at the Global Language Monitor's top 15 words of the year, along with the group's comment on each selection:

1. Twitter - The ability to encapsulate human thought in 140 characters
2. Obama - The word stem transforms into scores of new words like ObamaCare
3. H1N1 - The formal (and politically correct) name for Swine Flu
4. Stimulus - The $800 billion aid package meant to help mend the U.S. economy
5. Vampire - Vampires are very much en vogue, now the symbol of unrequited love
6. 2.0 - The 2.0 suffix is attached to the next generation of everything
7. Deficit - Lessons from history are dire warnings here
8. Hadron - Ephemeral particles subject to collision in the Large Hadron Collider
9. Healthcare - The direction of which is the subject of intense debate in the U.S.
10. Transparency - Elusive goal for which many 21st century governments are striving
11. Outrage - In response to large bonuses handed out to 'bailed-out' companies
12. Bonus - The incentive pay packages that came to symbolize greed and excess
13. Unemployed - And underemployed amount to close to 20% of U.S. workforce
14. Foreclosure - Forced eviction for not keeping up with the mortgage payments
15. Cartel - In Mexico, at the center of the battle over drug trafficking

Global Language Monitor's Top Phrases of 2009
1. King of Pop - Elvis was "The King;" MJ had to settle for "King of Pop'
2. Obama-mania - One of the scores of words from the Obama-word stem
3. Climate Change - Considered politically neutral compared to global warming
4. Swine Flu - Popular name for the illness caused by the H1N1 virus
5. Too Large to Fail - Institutions that are deemed necessary for financial stability
6. Cloud Computing - Using the Internet for a variety of computer services
7. Public Option - The ability to buy health insurance from a government entity
8. Jai Ho! - A Hindi shout of joy or accomplishment
9. Mayan Calendar - Consists of various "cycles," one of which ends on 12/21/2012
10. God Particle - The hadron, believed to hold the secrets of the Big Bang