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Webspeak in the Oxford Dictionary? We don't have to agree to these terms
By Nick Jones
I read yesterday on CNN's site that 'Webspeak' has invaded the Oxford Dictionary. That's right - all those irritating 'words' like LOL, LMAO and BFF have been accepted with open arms into one of the world's most respected and widely used dictionaries, and I for one am not happy about it! I am a proofreader by trade, but don't get me wrong - I am definitely not one of those stern-minded sticklers who refuses to accept that language must go with the times and evolve. I just think that these abbreviations are a particularly nasty strain of that evolution and I believe that they do our wonderful language a disservice. When you read a sentence that contains LOL, it looks ugly and out of place (unless it is accompanied with other such phrases, in which case it looks like some sort of unintelligible code). Proper acronyms like USA or RSPCA serve a valid purpose - they shorten popular expressions that are rather long-winded and so frequently used that is makes sense to reduce them. Using LOL, on the other hand, just seems to me to be a rather lazy action that arose from texting and this general attitude in our culture to rush everything. While occasional usage of LOL is innocuous enough, those people who rely on these phrases too much just sound unoriginal and clichéd - they all seem to be either laughing out loud, laughing their ass off or rolling on the floor laughing (which is a tad melodramatic anyway). Why not just write "Haha!" if you want to express amusement? That's what you would say if you were actually laughing out loud in a real conversation, after all. You don't have to agree to these terms! As I've said before, I am not a complete stick in the mud. I do agree that language should adapt to cultural changes, I just don't think that our dictionaries should so readily accept every single new term that society starts using. I suppose ultimately my argument is futile though, because once a word makes it into the Oxford Dictionary, I suppose it's here to stay. Time will tell I guess. |
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Brother, I feel your pain (LOL). However, there is help. Try a dose of Kate Burridge, a linguistics expert, who appears on Australia's Can We Help every week and chats for a few minutes about the changing soul of the English language. You can download FREE episodes of Can We Help at Itunes.
Hi Nick.
IKWUM. It really annoys me as well. FCOL how do they expect normal people to understand them. EOR. LOL. BR
Keith PS. If you really must know what these acronyms mean take a look at this website http://www.webacronyms.com/
I can identify with this, but to be honest now that I am a RETIRED English instructor, I am loosening up an awful lot. I am even starting to use prepositions to end a sentence with. RFLOL. There you go, I think I hit 3 birds with one stone. Maybe that was not such a good idea?
Haha! Just for you Nick, that was my morning laugh.
Rosemary
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This intel was contributed by Nick Jones
Nick Jones
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May, 2012
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