Vuvuzela The Real World Cup Winner

Whether we like it or not, the vuvuzela is here to stay.

Thursday, July 15, 2010 1:00 GMT

According to the Global Language Monitor, a group that tracks word usage trends worldwide, the traditional South African horn blown incessantly throughout the soccer tournament has just achieved linguistic greatness.

After looking at qualifying criteria, the GLM says the word “vuvuzela” has been officially accepted into the English language lexicon.

Due to its constant presence at the World Cup, GLM founder Paul JJ Payack says “vuvuzela” has already appeared some 2,450 times in the New York Times archive.

Additionally, a quick Google search yields more than 6,000,000 hits on the term, meaning it’s being widely used.

In order to make the English lexicon, Payack says a word must include 25,000 citations across multiple formats like the Internet, blogosphere, social media, print, and electronic media.

And for better or worse, the vuvuzela is now on everyone’s lips.