Webster's (or more officially, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) just announced the 100 words they are adding to the latest version. Apparently, this adding of new words is has become an annual tradition over there. I have no problem with them adding new words to the dictionary, times are changing and there are legitimate words that need to be added. DVR, for example, is a word (or abbreviation) that I approve of them adding. IED, is also acceptable in my book. I don't really have much of an opinion about agnolotti, other than the fact that the entry is amusing. "Crunk" is getting me close to an eyebrow raise but I have to put my foot down somewhere, and when I do it lands on ginormous. Ginormous is NOT A WORD! Ginormous is what happens when people put together two other words! Now, I have no problem with people doing this, and I have been known to tweak words of my own on this very blog, but I don't think because people do this, we should make it a legitimate word. Webster obviously knew that some people would have a problem with this because their president felt the need to comment:
"There will be linguistic conservatives who will turn their nose up at a word like `ginormous.' ... But it's become a part of our language. It's used by professional writers in mainstream publications. It clearly has staying power."
I don't consider myself to be a linguistic conservative, but I have a feeling other people might think "ginormous" is a ginormously bad idea too. What will be added next year,"badonkadonk butt"?
I do love dictionaries though. I actually asked for (and received) one for Christmas not too long ago. I enjoy spending time looking through it, finding words I didn't know, and looking up the actual definitions to words I think I know. It can be quite surprising how different the technical definition is from the one people commonly use. In the past, whenever I wanted to have some fun dictionary time, I would get out my trusty Webster's dictionary. But now, since Webster's is apparently trying to be the "cool" dictionary, I will be switching over to an Oxford English Dictionary. And by "now," I really mean whenever I buy an Oxford English Dictionary, which I will be doing soon.
"badonkadonk butt" . . . isn't that redundant?
ReplyDeleteThey seem to have forgotten "chillax". Maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteI share your annoyance, because most of the *point* of saying "ginormous" is that it isn't a real word. That's why it's mildly funny to use. As an officially recognized word, though, it's just lame.
ReplyDelete