Google’s recent innovation, the Ngram, is a tool that allows you to search a comprehensive database of books published between the years 1600 and 2008. Recently, it seems like every news outlet and every news outlet’s brother has been using this tool for clever journalistic endeavours. Are we a more “me-centric” society now than we were in 1666? Ask the Ngram! When did the word “galimaufry” go out of style and is its use inversely proportionate to the word “twerking?” Ask the Ngram! With that in mind, we have our own set of questions for the Ngram.
How often is the word “Concord” used in books between 1800 and 2008?
Use of the word “Concord” peaked in 1906, when it comprised .000468% of all words used in books. It’s been on a steady decline ever since; the most recent data available shows it made up .000273% of all words used.
How often is the word “insider” used in books between 1600 and 2008?
Most Ngram searches are done between 1800 and 2008, as many agree that the data from 1600-1799 is not as comprehensive as the rest. However, we went back to 1600 for a reason: we wanted to see when the first ever use of “insider” took place. From what we can tell, the first use of “insider” took place back in 1635, making up a puny .000000494% of all words used. It slowly crept up the charts from that point on, with minimal use until the early 1900s (the rise of the stock market, perhaps?) It reached a mini-peak in 1950, when it hit .000060%, and has increased rapidly from that point to the present day. It currently sits at .000114% – we like to think we had a little something to do with that.
How often does the word “Aspell” appear in books between 1800 and 2008?
Use of “Aspell” grew rapidly betwen 1800 and 1893, when it peaked at .000000468%. After that, it declined steadily until 1976, when it bottomed out at 000000308%. Since then, it has been on the rise and currently checks in at .000000365% and growing!
Play with the Ngram viewer at books.google.com/ngram.
