He said
These aren't just ordinary and necessary words. When the Internet was invented, we needed to call it something, and once we decided on Internet, it went in the dictionary, with a capital 'I' no less.
Then there are other words that maybe we shouldn't add to the dictionary, words like Brangelina. Sure, it's a word that somebody came up with, but should we really be insulting the English language by incorporating it into the official scripture and thus legitimizing it?
Recently words like F-bomb and sexting were inducted into the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Stalwarts of the English language were outraged. People like English teachers anyway. They would be complaining about proper English and why nobody cares to know it anymore, but there is no proper English. There is formal English, but who is to say that is better or more appropriate than slang, lingo or jargon?
Language evolves, and that is something we all have to accept. Who really cares if the dictionary sports words that are annoying or silly pop culture references? I'm sure the Jersey Shore kids have coined a term or two and those words have been thrust into the viewers' common vocabulary. Those words too, will soon be considered rules according to Dictionary Law.
We aren't the only ones who need to do it. English people keep coming up with silly words and the French look to the French Academy to create en Francais versions of those words. When bootylicious was coined, it was up to the French Academy to decide if the French needed their own version of that word. According to Google Translate, they determined the Anglicized version was sufficient.
The changes in our language should be embraced because that's what keeps it alive and fresh. If we didn't add or adapt anything, we'd still have Old English. If we really didn't adapt, we'd all be speaking whatever the first language was or no language at all.
Like everything else, it's adapt or die, and whatever words are added to our dictionary, it doesn't make the English language any less legitimate or dumbed down.
She said
I love English, partly because I've never understood math, so I needed a default favourite subject growing up. But I truly love reading and writing and the language in general. English is awesome.
I'm OK with adding new words to the dictionary. A dictionary is supposed to record the language, and if enough people are saying "F-bomb," then I guess it's part of English.
There's nothing to say that languages can't change. Consider that they have changed to get to this point. Hence the fact that I'm not using "thine," thou," and "thee" in every story I write. Language evolves as the world changes, so I'm OK with these new words.
It's a little bit sad, though, that one of the words being added is "F-bomb." I understand that it's frequently used instead of swearing, but it's such a stupid, moronic word, in my opinion. Of course, for people who feel like I do and aren't pleased to see such a stupid word being added, consider that we don't have to say "F-bomb" just because it's in the dictionary now.
There are lots of words in the dictionary that I don't use, including "concatenate," today's word of the day on Dictionary.com. Concatenate means "to link together, as in a chain." I'm sure this could come up in conversation, if I were discussing fences, but I'll probably just say "link" instead. Similarly, I'll just cuss instead of saying F-bomb, because I'm a bad-mouthed rebel like that.
