I'd never really thought of it before, I mean I know the English language is changing and adapting all the time, but I'd never spent much time thinking about the dictionary having to change as well.Suprise!!! It does as Martin Wainwright, reporting for the Guardian, explains.
A year of 'snollygosters', 'jeggings' and 'tweetups' marked the end of the 21st century's first decade, according to word enthusiasts who have spent Christmas burrowing into Britain's biggest linguistic base.
The three words lead the list of hundreds of new English coinings in the Oxford English Dictionary in the last 12 months, along with novel uses for familiar words, such as 'simples', 'unfriend' and 'zombie banking'.
For the full article and to find out the meanings of snollygoster (etc) click HERE OR to view the latest new entries (as of the 10th of December 2009) to the Oxford English Dictionary click HERE.
Oh and don't be at all suprised if some of the words found on Word Balderdash as 'played' by Sheila at ONE PERSONS JOURNEY THROUGH A WORLD OF BOOKS and Melissa at MY WORLD (amongst others) don't make it on the 2010 list - remember you heard them on their blogs first.
18 comments:
Wow!! I love a dictionary - but clearly not as much as you!!! Thanks for the interesting info!!
xxxx
Just got an iPhone, but new number, want to text all my contacts to say I've changed number. Thanks :)
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Well, I get "unfriend" and "tweetups" but the rest left me confused.
A tweetup? I love the word. Our first daughter was called "Tweeny" from birth--if I call her on her Iphone, is it a "Tweenup?" Love to you!
Cool
My daughter wears 'treggings' non-stop - are they in yet?
Thanks for reading.
To be honest, I don't really deserve any blog-related awards unless there's one called 'Most Self-Indulgently Snot-nosed and Facetious', in which case I'd clean up.
'Jeggings' will probably pass out of the dictionary very soon. It's a fad.
trustyourtechnolust.blogspot.com
Wouldn't that be hilarious if one of the words in Word Balderdash made it? LOL!
There is a book called "Balderdash and Piffle" written by Alex Games, with a fore and end word by Victoria Coren, which I found very useful besides my usual dictionary. To get a word into everyday use is just to mention it as often as you can!
I loved this book! You may remember it as a T.V. programme a while ago, but I just love words and how they evolved!
snollygosters? I remember one year when there was huge discussion if Hanging Chad should be added to the dictionary or not.
Of course dictionaries have to change says this teacher of English.
Years ago, it was such a bother when students asked me what a new word meant and I couldn´t look it up anywhere. Now I tell them to google it or find an online dictionary :D
Very interesting post! I had to laugh at one of the new entries...
"coonass". Living in south Arkansas (which borders Louisiana for those that don't know their US geography) I have known more than my share of coonasses!! Not a derogatory term in my book, but don't know how the OED classifies it.
You might find this recent post about words from my friend Quid interesting:
http://livingimperfectly.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-only-words-and-words-are-all-i-have.html
WHAT???? They are not real words????
LOL Great post!
I definitely like snollygoster the best. It's fun to say, and I like that it's a revived old word. :) I never would have known what it meant without checking the article though!
I'm not really sure what some of the words mean.. but if I didn't get to check out on this words in the dictionary,"Tweetups",reminds me of Twtter and "jeggings" almost sounds like leggings! LOL!
I learn lot from your post:)
I love dictionaries and averything has to do with all languages!
hugs hugs
I agree with what you said about the clothing offered to children. When I go shopping for my girls I say "OK I would wear that" I found a cute outfit for my little girl who at the time was 4, something about Being small but being big trouble. I thought it was so cute, it fit her. I pulled it out and across the butt of the shorts it said "Trouble" Why would I want writing on my 4 year olds bottom?
I will have to check out the other information.
I have an award for you!
It is always educational to see what is a new entry in the O.E.D.
Happy New Year, P.W.!
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