Smombie: The English We Speak

Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
I’m Neil and joining me today is…
Feifei: Argh! Ouch!
Neil: …Feifei… who’s just walked right into
a door.
Feifei: Hi. I was just catching up on some
messages on my phone and I sort of lost
track of where I was.
Neil: Hmm yes, you were walking around
like a zombie
– a smartphone zombie.
A smombie is a person who walks around with
their head bowed down, writing messages or
playing games on their phone and not paying
any attention to the world around them!
Feifei: Even if they’re in a situation which might
be dangerous – like crossing a road.
Neil: Or walking into a radio studio door!
How’s your nose?
Feifei: OK, OK, Neil. You’ve made your point.
Let’s hear some examples.
I’m too terrified to drive past the college
these days. You never know when a smombie’s
going step out into the road in front of the car!
I was knocked flying the other day by a smombie
as I was trying to get a bus. I don’t even
think she knew she’d bumped into me!
People don’t know how to communicate with
each other face-to-face any more. They are
such smombies!
Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English
and in this programme we’re learning
a really new word which is made up of two
words – smartphone and zombie.
Neil: The word is smombie. It’s actually
from German and has won
Germany’s ‘Youth Word of the Year’ competition.
Feifei: But people are now starting to use
it in English too.
It describes people who walk around totally
absorbed by their smartphones.
Neil: You know, the kind of people who
walk into
the road without looking at the traffic…
Or into studio doors.
Feifei: Enough now Neil!
Neil: Goodbye!
Feifei: Bye.