Who Says Language is Boring?

Anyone who plays Scrabble or Words With Friends can tell you, there's no such thing as enough words.  When you are playing these kinds of games, the more words you have in your vocabulary, the better you can play.  I know I certainly am learning a lot of new words I would never have considered to BE words if I hadn't started playing WWF with a couple of people.

I, for one, am intrigued by the way the English language changes constantly, not just by adopting words and terms from other languages, but by inventing new ones.  I remember reading a book by Andrew Clements a few years ago called Frindle.  Its the story of a boy who gets into an argument with his English teacher about whether or not the language could be changed any more.  In order to prove her wrong, he gets a few of his friends to use the word 'frindle' for that thing you write with that uses ink.  I won't tell you any more, other than to say its a fun, quick read.  Sorry, but its a professional perogative to get you to read the book!  Check it out at your local Library.

Well, now it’s that special time of the year for lexicographers (you know, those are people who just LOVE to keep track of and compile those big, fancy words).

This past week, Merriam-Webster announced its annual list of the newest additions to its Collegiate Dictionary.  This year, however, there was a bomb included—more specifically, the term “F-bomb.”


The term “F-bomb” makes it into the dictionary for the first time, even though it has been printed in newspapers for more than 20 years, according to an article by the Associated Press.

In addition, the words ‘sexting,’ ‘flexitarian,’ ‘obesogenic,’ ‘energy drink,’ and ‘life coach’ also make it into the official lexicon, along with about 94 additional words.

Before a word can be added to the lexicon, the company, based in Springfield, MA, tracks it for several years noting its use in media and general society. In the case of ‘F-bomb’ (not the F word itself), the term was traced back to a 1988 Newsday story where Mets catcher Gary Carter talked about how he had stopped using them and then in stories about a locker room tirade by Bobby Knight in the late 1990’s which was filled with expletives. These expletives were reported as ‘F-bombs’ to avoid the word itself and thereby get around any censorship issues. The same thing happened in 2004 when Dick Cheney dropped the word in the Senate and again when Joe Biden did the same thing in 2010. So, although some dictionaries and other sources have listed the word before this, Merriam-Webster is just now adding it and making it official.

Other terms and words that have made the list include:

Sexting (the sending of provocative images as text), Flexitarian (a person “whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish”), Obesogenic (refers to an environment where something or some pattern promotes weight gain or produces obesity), Underwater (owing more on a mortgage than the property is worth), Toxic (as in an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market), Earworm (that annoying melody you can't stop thinking about), Craft Beer (beverages made in small batches by small or amateur brewers), e-Reader (devices on which readers can read books, magazines and newspapers in electronic format), Game Changer (something which forces people or situations to go in a different direction).

Others include: Man Cave, brain cramp, bucket list, 'aha' moment, 'systemic risk,' ', Gastropub, Geocaching, Shovel-ready (a construction site ready for work), Tipping Point, and a new definition for 'Gassed' as a slang term for drained of energy.

New Word of the Year Reflects Current Society

Well, its the time of the year for lists.  Gift lists, grocery lists, card lists--the lists go on!

You can add this one to your list, too--maybe under 'Humor'?

It seems the New Oxford English Dictionary recently announced the 2009 Word of the Year.  What is it?  Its that questionable verb from FaceBook--"Unfriend".

Yep, technology is here to stay, folks.  As if you didn't already know that!

As with anything new, this announcement has stirred up a bit of controversy.  There are people who are not surprised at this and there are those who are upset by it.  Some claim that it is made up, while others argue that this is exactly how a language grows.  Personally, I feel I have to agree with the latter.  Its just like the words 'iPod' or 'podcast' a couple of years ago.  People tried to eliminate them from the language.  The people from Windows even tried to get the public to use a different word than podcast--anyone remember what it was?  Thought not.  It was too late.  The word is now as ubiquitous as any other word in English, and even its common in other languages around the world. 

Is it a word or not?  In an unofficial, unscientific poll, 52% said 'No' while only 32% said yes.  There are a significant number of people who either don't care or think the whole thing is crazy.

Crazy or unimportant, it may be.  However, you have to admit, its fun!

What do you think?