Learning English reporter Bryan Lynn looked into the changes. He's joined me in the studio to talk about some of the new words.
慢速英语的记者布莱恩·林恩（Bryan Lynn）研究了这些变动。他将和我在播音室一起讨论这些新的单词。

Hi Bryan.
嗨，布莱恩。

Hi Ashley.
嗨，阿什利。

First off, how often does Merriam Webster add words? Is this a yearly event?
首先，韦氏词典多久收录一次单词？每年一次？

No, actually it's not. The last time the company added new words online was 2014. But an editor at large, Peter Solokowski, said Merriam Webster had been "watching" some of the added words for many, many years. Others, he said, were much newer in use.
不，实际上不是的。该公司上次收录新词是在2014年。但是自由编辑Peter Solokowski表示，韦氏词典已经观察了其中一些新收录的单词很多年。他说，其它新收录的单词都比较新。

So where do they come from?
这些单词都出自哪里呢？

Everywhere, really. I mean the new terms cover areas including science, technology, sports, pop culture. Most will probably be familiar to you.
来自四面八方。我的意思是这些新的术语涵盖了科学、技术、体育、流行文化等领域。其中大多数你可能会很熟悉。

Okay. So, for example...
好的，那么举个例子？

Well, how about the verb "binge-watch?"
嗯，例如binge-watch这个动词。

Oh yes. I binge watch television shows sometimes...always! That means to watch many episodes of a series in a short period of time. To binge, in this case, means to do a lot of something in a short amount of time.
哦，是的。我有时候会狂看电视，意思是在短时间内观看很多集电视剧。To binge在这里的意思是在短时间内做很多事情。

Right...so in this case, I guess, watching one after the other for a few hours straight. Some people might watch a whole season of a show over a few days.
对的，我想在这个例子中是指连续几个小时看了一集又一集电视节目。有些人可能会在几天时间内看完一整季的电视节目。

So here's another from the list you collected: Seussian. Some Learning English fans outside America might not know this one.
以下是你整理的另一个单词：Seussian。慢速英语节目一些国外的粉丝可能不知道这个单词。

Yeah, so Seussian is an adjective that refers to the American children's book writer known as Dr. Seuss. He wrote these fantastical books for young children that included fun rhymes and colorful pictures.
是的，Seussian是一个形容词，涉及到美国儿童书籍作家苏斯博士。他给幼儿写了很多梦幻的书籍，里面包括了有趣的童谣和多彩的图片。

Like "The Cat and the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham."
像是“小猫和帽子”以及“绿鸡蛋和火腿”。

"‘I will not eat them, Sam-I-Am.'" The books made you laugh but they also helped a lot of kids learn to read. So anything that reminds a person of a Dr. Seuss world could be Seussian."
“‘我可不吃，Sam-I-Am。’”这些书籍让你发笑了，但是它们帮助了很多孩子学会阅读。所以任何会让人想起苏斯博士世界的东西都可以称之为Seussian。

Okay. "Green Eggs and Ham" was the first book I ever read, actually. Another one on your list is photobomb. That's when someone jumps in front of a camera uninvited. It's usually done as a joke. I've seen some pretty funny photos that were the result of a really good photobomb!
嗯。“绿鸡蛋和火腿”实际上是我读过的第一本书。你列出的另一个单词是photobomb。这是指有人未经邀请跳到镜头前，通常是开玩笑。我看过一些非常有趣的照片，就是非常好的抢镜头的结果。

Right, yeah. Photobombing is more of a prank. But, you know, it's not meant "to throw shade on anyone."
对，是的。抢镜头更多的是恶作剧。但是你知道，它不是指"to throw shade on anyone."

Oh, so I guess that is another newly added phrase, to throw shade?
哦？所以我猜这是另一个新收录的短语to throw shade？

Yes, it is. So, it is a slang expression that means to publicly express disrespect or dislike for someone. But to "throw shade" the insult or offense has to be subtle or understated.
是的。这是一种俚语表达，意思是公开对某人表示蔑视或嫌弃，但是这种冒犯必须微妙或是低调。

Okay. So, among the new words are slang expressions, as well...
所以在新收录的单词中也有俚语表达？

Correct. So, one of those is ghost.
对，其中一个单词就是ghost。

We all know what that means as a noun, but...
我们都知道这个单词作为名词是什么意思，但是呢......

Right, but as a verb it means to abruptly cut off contact.
对，但是它作为动词是指突然失去联系。

Mhmm. I have friends who have been quite hurt by people who have just ghosted on them, without any explanation. It's not a very nice thing to do.
嗯，我有些朋友就受到了一些人的严重伤害，这些人不做任何解释就突然跟他们失去了联系。这样做不好。

Right, so I mean, with the slang words you could even pile on top, right? You could throw shade and also ghost the same person.
对的，你甚至可以把这些俚语加在一起用。你可以嫌弃某人并且跟这同一个人突然失去联系。

Oh...Okay, so here is another word on this list: microaggression. So is ghosting an example of microaggression?
哦，好吧。这是列出来的另一个单词：microaggression。那么ghosting就是一种microaggression吗？

Well, microaggression is a noun. It's a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a minority group.
嗯，microaggression是个名词。它是指微妙地、并且经常是下意识地表达对少数派成员偏见态度的言行。

Okay, so that sounds a little more serious than "ghosting."
好吧，这听起来比“突然失去联系”还更可怕。

It is.
是的。

Alright, so this next word is not slang and I'm not really sure most people know what this one means: prosopagnosia.
好吧，下一个单词不是俚语，我不是非常确认大多数人都知道它的意思，这个单词就是prosopagnosia。

Yes, so this is a noun and it does have a scientific meaning -- the inability to recognize faces.
是的，这是一个名词，它的学术含义就是没有能力识别面孔。

Okay, so like a face-blindness.
就像是脸盲症？

Exactly, that's what it would be. Blind to faces.
就是这个意思，不认脸。

Well, this has been really interesting, Bryan. Thanks for joining me in studio here. And to our listeners, let us know if you liked this and maybe we can do more of this in the future.
好吧，布莱恩，这真有趣。感谢你加入这次播音。听众朋友们，如果你喜欢这期节目，请告诉我们，也许我们未来可以做更多这类节目。

I'm Ashley Thompson.
我是阿什利·汤普森。