New York Times crossword: the changing use of foreign words

Charles Kurzman conducted an historical mapping of words used in the New York Times crosswords over a period of 74 years (International New York Times, February 6, 2016). He found that current Americans are more parochial than their grandparents, by determining the changing trends in the acceptance of foreign words in the paper’s daily crosswords.

The Times crossword puzzle editor, Will Shortz, consented to Kurzman downloading all of the newspaper’s crosswords from February 1942 (when the puzzle began) to the end of 2015. Kurzman created an algorithm (mathematical program) to search all 2,092,375 pairs of clues and answers for foreign language words and place names (outside of the United States).

The broad trend analysis showed significant results. The crossword of today uses 33% fewer non-English clues and answers than it did at its peak in 1966, and makes 66% fewer international references than its peak in 1943.

Will Shortz chooses foreign-language words that are not too obscure (otherwise he’d get reader complaints). Foreign-language words peaked in the 1960s at 6%, and today are about 4% of all clues. Initially in the 1940s and 50s, German, French and Latin words were commonly used in the crosswords. Now more Spanish words are used.

In the first four years (1942-1946), under editor Margaret Farrer, more than 15% of the clues included international geographic references. Under Will Weng from 1969, there was a slight decrease in the use of international geographic references, and from 1977 under Eugene T. Maleska there was another slight decrease. And another slight decrease when current editor, Will Shortz, took over in 1993. The use of international geographic references is currently at 5% (and references to Western Europe account for a third – 33% - of these).

However, some foreign words have grown in frequency – and these were mostly related to food. These included words, or clues, such as tacos (first mentioned in 1963), sushi (first appeared in 1982), dim sum (1985 was its first appearance), and churros (first included in 2011).

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/07/opinion/what-74-years-of-times-crosswords-say-about-the-words-we-use.html?emc=edit_th_20160207&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=72405193&_r=0

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).