Younger, hipper, more urban terms are turning up in the new edition such as "crunk" and "speed dating" and the craze of "sudoku." Not everyone thinks this is a good idea, but here's what the president of Merriam-Webster had to say:
"There will be linguistic conservatives who will turn their nose up at a word like `ginormous,'" said John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president. "But it's become a part of our language. It's used by professional writers in mainstream publications. It clearly has staying power."
What words would you like to see in the mainstream dictionary next time? What word or phrase would you make up of your own that you'd like to see go down in history as a great catch phrase?
And for the record...Merriam-Webster traces ginormous back to 1948, when it appeared in a British dictionary of military slang.
Let's hear what you think!
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3 comments:
Wonderful post, Marley! So interesting about the new words.
I'm wondering about the word "dude", if the newest version includes the reference to how some teenagers currently use it...not as a "dapper man", but like someone who needs to get a clue. Like, "Dude, get over yourself."
I'm off to the airport!
i think 'da bomb should be in the dickshunery.
Anonymous,
I think I just peed myself reading your comment.
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