When Oxford University Press (出版社) chose "rizz" as its 2023 Word of the Year, many people asked, "Rizz? Is there such a word?" At the same time, many young English speakers laughed out loud "Jeepers, haven't you ever heard of rizz?"
Rizz means the ability to attract a person. Are you good at making friends? Do your classmates often laugh loudly at your jokes? Then you probably have rizz. As in "to rizz up someone", it means to attract someone. The word first appeared on social media as teen slang (俚语) and became popular after the Spider-Man actor Tom Holland said he had "no rizz." ★
★ "Jeepers" is another. People use it to express shock. And the word "tea" is no longer just a "drink". It also means "gossip (闲聊)." Similarly, here in China, words like "xianyanbao" have a new meaning. Teens are also saying "dazi" ( pal or friend ) and "qimengle" (What?)．
These changes show that both English and Chinese are alive. A health language, researchers say, should always see new words being created, words being borrowed from other languages and old words taking on new meanings. The changes also show that young people have more influences on society.
When we look back on 2023, one thing stands out: artificial intelligence (AI)．
Computers have become cleverer than ever. Some AI systems (系统) have "rizzed up" many users with their ability to write long articles, create poems and draw pictures. But they can only use language. Can ChatGPT coin a slang word and make it popular? Can it give a word new meanings? Can it change how we humans speak and write?
You should be proud of your ability to play with words. But while you try to create another slang word, remember to be polite. Also, don't use slang in your compositions - it won't "rizz up" your teachers!
