Oxford needs to look up the word "slang."

[Burly Brute]

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...nary?GT1=43001


Your thoughts? I am frustrated beyond belief at my generation.

[Father Bill]

Well, Oxford's role isn't to rule on what is and is not in use, merely to give access to it to those who might not know what it means.

I don't like much of the slang, but English IS the fastest evolving language on the planet. More if you like from this old linguist, but that's the basic outline.

[Coinneach]

tbh, you're prolly not an onliner.

I've never really liked the word "woot" myself and happily I've never found an occasion to use it.

[Burly Brute]

Well, Oxford's role isn't to rule on what is and is not in use, merely to give access to it to those who might not know what it means.

I don't like much of the slang, but English IS the fastest evolving language on the planet. More if you like from this old linguist, but that's the basic outline.

But these are just ridiculously absurd slang-terms, and some of them aren't that new. It's just, it's just absurd!

[Burly Brute]

tbh, you're prolly not an onliner.

I've never really liked the word "woot" myself and happily I've never found an occasion to use it.

See this is my point! You never needed to like the word "woot" because it was just an expression, and not a literal word! But this what's happening to our language, and it must be stopped! lol


(sadly I am half-joking with my intensity, but that doesnt come across well on the internet...I hope you all don't think I am crazy)

[Father Bill]

But these are just ridiculously absurd slang-terms, and some of them aren't that new. It's just, it's just absurd!

Don't split an artery now!

To the best of my knowledge there are only two languages in the world which have a supervising body: French, and Hebrew. The latter because it wasn't used except as a ceremonial and scriptural language, and when modern Israel was formed they needed new new words for things that had not existted the last time the language had been used, such things as a "fork" a "traffic light" and ... "Scotch whiskey" (yayin saruf - Scotch that is burning). In the case of French something that speakers of other languages don't understand is that culturally the language has a whole different and greater importance to the French than it does to the rest of us, with the potential exception of Arabic which is considered holy in the use of its religious adherents.

That being the case, an important event in around 1992 was that the Academie Francaise published the complete dictionary of the French Language in four volumes. Coincidentally and instructively, Oxford published its Complete English Dictionary... in forty volumes.

English is both a quicker evolving language than others, Oxford also sees its mandate differently: access to all users of English. When, during the second war, a new electronic component was developed that was part transmitter, part resistor, it was quickly dubbed a "transistor." Other languages didn't move as fast. The German word for transistor is "transistor" and in Japanese, I'm told it is "tlansistol". Think about how the word "streak' morphed in and out of meaning from smudge to naked runner, back to smudge.

For its flexibility, I am grateful to English, but finally, to agree with you, I am distressed by those who abuse it.

Old English Teacher
French Speaker
German Dabbler
Hebrew Student
Latin Student

Father Bill

[Paul Henry]

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...nary?GT1=43001


Your thoughts? I am frustrated beyond belief at my generation.

I'm not really sure what the problem is, The Oxford Dictionaries are simply that, a large list of words that are used in the English language, they don't suggest which words to use, merely which words have been used.To be realistic they will forever be putting words in which are not absolutely current, as any word has to have some use before many people know what it is.
English is one of the few languages which continually adds words to the canon, and doesn't remove them.
To me as a British English speaker, but not an native of England, I enjoy the richness and variety that English has, and am very glad that some people do take the trouble to write it down

for a current dictionary of slang try this Urban

[azwildcat96]

I'm not really sure what the problem is, The Oxford Dictionaries are simply that, a large list of words that are used in the Englaish language, they don't suggest which words to use, merely which words have been used.To be realistic they will forever be putting words in which are not absolutely current, as any words has to have some use before many people know what it is.
English is one of the few languages which continually adds words to the canon, and doesn't remove them.
To me as a British English speaker, but not an native of England, I enjoy the richness and variety that English has, and am very glad that some people do take the trouble to write it down

Well said...and if you really want to see some of the newer words in use by some, try checking out one of the on-line slang dictionary sites. That will really put things in a new perspective!

[xman]

I still remember when ain't wasn't a word.

PS Shouldn't it really be spelled 'om-nom-nom' though?

[Burly Brute]

Don't split an artery now!

To the best of my knowledge there are only two languages in the world which have a supervising body: French, and Hebrew. The latter because it wasn't used except as a ceremonial and scriptural language, and when modern Israel was formed they needed new new words for things that had not existted the last time the language had been used, such things as a "fork" a "traffic light" and ... "Scotch whiskey" (yayin saruf - Scotch that is burning). In the case of French something that speakers of other languages don't understand is that culturally the language has a whole different and greater importance to the French than it does to the rest of us, with the potential exception of Arabic which is considered holy in the use of its religious adherents.

That being the case, an important event in around 1992 was that the Academie Francaise published the complete dictionary of the French Language in four volumes. Coincidentally and instructively, Oxford published its Complete English Dictionary... in forty volumes.

English is both a quicker evolving language than others, Oxford also sees its mandate differently: access to all users of English. When, during the second war, a new electronic component was developed that was part transmitter, part resistor, it was quickly dubbed a "transistor." Other languages didn't move as fast. The German word for transistor is "transistor" and in Japanese, I'm told it is "tlansistol". Think about how the word "streak' morphed in and out of meaning from smudge to naked runner, back to smudge.

For its flexibility, I am grateful to English, but finally, to agree with you, I am distressed by those who abuse it.

Old English Teacher
French Speaker
German Dabbler
Hebrew Student
Latin Student

Father Bill

And Koine, right? ;-)