MUMBAI: Does American television influences English language? A question which has an answer as yes, to a great extent. "Truthiness" from the US television show Colbert Report was named the Top Tele Word of 2006 in the Global Language Monitor's annual survey of words. This survey zeroes in on the words from American television that influence English language.

Another word, "Wikiality" from the same show followed "Truthiness". And closely following these words were, "Katrina", referring to the stories on television about the devastating destruction caused by the hurricane. "Katie" is another word in reference to US news anchor Katie Couric's move into the top seat at CBS News, and Dr. McDreamy from ABC's show Grey's Anatomy.

Rounding out the top ten were "Bush's War', heard often on the news, "Man of the Hours" from the television show 24's lead Keifer Sutherland, "Tourette's", from I have Tourette's but Tourette's doesn't have me, "Dysfunctional" from another television show The Office. This year's Bonus Phrase is 'You're going to Hollywood!' from Simon Cowell's American Idol.

Global Language Monitor president Paul JJ Payack says, "Television, once again, has helped to define our culture and its impact upon spoken English is profound. Some of these buzzwords will quickly pass, while others will be embedded in the language for years to come.

"Though 'truthiness' in some form has existed in the language for centuries, it could not have been revived in more relevant times than the early 21st century; while 'Wikiality' can be observed even today, where Pluto has been voted out of the Solar System by a convention of Astronomers."

The Global Language Monitor analyses and catalogues the latest trends in word usage, their choices, and their impact on various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.