Brexit declared 'children's word of the year'

Youngsters’ short stories imagine magical solutions to political crisis

Titles included "The Cat who solved Brexit" and "A Unicorn Called Brexit" (Getty iStock)

Brexit is the “children’s word of the year”, according to linguists at Oxford University Press (OUP).

The department’s lexicographers annually analyse thousands of entries to a children’s short story competition and found a marked change in this year’s entries.

More than 100,000 stories were entered into the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show competition.

Researchers found that the young writers used the word Brexit 418 times in their stories, compared to 89 times the previous year.

Mentions of Theresa May more than doubled, rising from 118 to 287.

The children used their stories to conjure up a Brexit deal or assist a beleaguered Ms May, while some tales saw Brexit cancelled completely.

Story titles included The Cat Who Solved Brexit, Aliens in Brexit and A Unicorn Called Brexit.

The entires also included several references to the backstop and the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

Linguists at OUP also noted a general increase in political vocabulary.

“What is an extremely complex and difficult issue for some of the finest political minds has inspired children’s creativity and inventiveness in a really interesting and smart way,” said Helen Freeman, OUP’s director of publishing operations.

“In 2017 and 2018, Brexit was mostly referred to as a boring subject parents talked about, as something in the background.

“This year it is a very different picture – Brexit is front and centre of the action, with children swooping in to help Theresa May in a proactive, empowered and fun way.”

Researchers also found the children were fascinated with sloths, which appeared in stories a record 1,100 times this year.

But unicorns remain the most popular creature, mentioned 15,000 times, while digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri make frequent appearances.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the footballer, is the real-life person who is most mentioned, followed by Donald Trump, Adolf Hitler and Harry Kane.

“This year’s stories show an overwhelming desire among children to take action and create positive change themselves, at home, at school and in society more generally,” Ms Freeman said.

“Agency and empowerment are massive themes.”

This year’s story competition attracted 112,986 entries.

Additional reporting by agencies