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Decline of English Language continues - new words added to Oxford Dictionary

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N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
marrec said:
The only thing that will ensure the preservation of the English Language (or any language) is the recognition of slang and otherwise common vernacular. Strict adherence to archaic word usage and meaning is a great way to kill a language.
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And when 'common vernacular' completely clashes with academic or professional use because laymen don't know how to use words properly? It is difficult enough trying to have discussions on certain topics due to some of the less educated not having a proper or efficient understanding of the language professionals use.
 
M

marrec

Banned
NoblesseOblige said:
And when 'common vernacular' completely clashes with academic or professional use because laymen don't know how to use words properly? It is difficult enough trying to have discussions on certain topics due to some of the less educated not having a proper or efficient understanding of the language professionals use.
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That has nothing to do with preservation of the english language though. Professional language use is non-normal in comparison with general language use. That's why people have to go to school for technical writing. I can understand the frustration but the expectations in a professional (not academic) setting are necessarily different than the expectations of everyday.

I write and communicate very differently in a work e-mail compared to a NeoGAF post bruh.
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
godelsmetric said:
cataloguing the words that people use isn't preservation of the english language?
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You have to be a little more discriminatory and selective on which words have long standing value and aren't just fads. We don't need every portmanteau added to a dictionary. I haven't seen 'awesomesauce' used outside Life is Strange for like half a decade.
 
C

chaobreaker

Member
Don't know how I should feel about social justice warrior being relevant enough to be on a dictionary.

Well, at least Oxford knows what's up and is defining it as a word used by extremists rather than it being a word to describe extremists.
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
marrec said:
That has nothing to do with preservation of the english language though. Professional language use is non-normal in comparison with general language use. That's why people have to go to school for technical writing. I can understand the frustration but the expectations in a professional (not academic) setting are necessarily different than the expectations of everyday.

I write and communicate very differently in a work e-mail compared to a NeoGAF post bruh.
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Oxford is (was) the more appropriate dictionary for professional use is all I am saying. If I wanted a general use dictionary then I'd use Webster or some other nonsense. In any case I was being intentionally melodramatic in my original post. I don't actually see it as the destruction of the English language. I just prefer to have my Oxford be a little more discriminatory rather than needlessly convoluted.
 
M

marrec

Banned
NoblesseOblige said:
Oxford (was) the more appropriate dictionary for professional use is all I am saying. If I wanted a general use dictionary then I'd use Webster or some other nonsense. In any case I was being intentionally melodramatic in my original post. I don't actually see it as the destruction of the English language. I just prefer to have my Oxford be a little more discriminatory rather than needlessly convoluted.
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I get ya, I figured you were being overly dramatic, but I wanted to use your post as a jumping off point toward the normal discussion that happens in these threads. Though attitudes are changing recently, in general people seem overly worried about adding slang to dictionaries as if that somehow makes English less prestigious.

I'm pretty sure they got the definition of fur baby wrong tho...
 
X

xKilltheMx

Member
SheepyGuy said:
They catalog English as it evolves. It's the right way to do this for any living language. If you don't like it, switch to Latin.
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This.

Everybody complaining are old men yelling at clouds

Edit: All you bruhs need to be deradicalized because your complaints are weaksauce, mkay
 
Z

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
Seems pretty late for "pocket dial" to be added. The definition speaks of "buttons".
 
O

Omegasquash

Member
In other news, Oxford seeks to keep itself relevant to the public by adding slang.

Jokes aside...whatever. They can do as they wish.
 
I

idlewild_

Member
social justice warrior, n.: (informal, derogatory) a person who expresses or promotes socially progressive views.
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It is amusing how this one is used derogatorily when the meaning is so positive.
 
K

KHlover

Banned
Shuggananas said:
cat cafe ? fat-shame ? fur baby ? redditor ?

What the fuck are these doing in a dictionary lol



and make-up sponge
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"to google sth"
Why is that in a dictionary !!!11!!!111

Language is fluid, if a word is used commonly enough it gets added to the dictionary.
 
S

SimleuqiR

Member
giphy.gif
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
marrec said:
I get ya, I figured you were being overly dramatic, but I wanted to use your post as a jumping off point toward the normal discussion that happens in these threads. Though attitudes are changing recently, in general people seem overly worried about adding slang to dictionaries as if that somehow makes English less prestigious.

I'm pretty sure they got the definition of fur baby wrong tho...
Click to expand...

I am fine with slang being added if it has any long-standing or cultural value. I do not see 'awesomeauce' as being either of those things. But maybe I'm wrong and the word is used more than I think. Or maybe in 20 years someone will play Life is Strange and be absolutely baffled by the vernacular, requiring them to consult a dictionary. Though even today all they have to do is type 'define: awesomesauce' into a search bar and likely get a result. I'm just not sure why the OED is including it. It devalues the reason for me to use it.

I fear soon I may just need to surrender and accept that 'nite' and 'lite' are proper spellings, or 'moot' means 'irrelevant' opposed to its more classical use of 'open to discussion'.
 
S

Shokifer

Member
This wouldn't be a problem if they actually sounded like decent words. I mean awesomesauce just sounds...eugh.

I do find it interesting that a lot of times we let people who had actual mastery of the language invent their own terms. Y'know people like Shakespeare and shit. But now apparently we're letting its future be decided by random yobbos. Not that we haven't always done that but still.
 
N

Novocaine

Member
As long as 'alot' doesn't get added I'll be fine with whatever. I'm totally calling someone a fatberg today, that's a cool word.
 
F

Fliesen

Member
i do get "hangry" a lot, though.

There's an Austrian slang term for that, though. "Futtergrantig" ("food-cranky")
 
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