LOL WTH? - [website] Published: 10th of May 2011 by: www.bizpremises.co.za
The Oxford English Dictionary, one of the main sources of spellings, meanings and etymologies of words in the English language, is fast becoming as muddied as some of our text messages...
The inclusion of ‘words’ such as LOL, OMG, FYI and even the heart graphic <3 (to heart) in the OED have got me more than a little upset with the way the English language is headed, and I’m of the staunch opinion that these acronyms and symbols belong solely on the internet or in text messages and not brought into our everyday speech.
I understand their uses, and will even dish out the odd LOL (laugh out loud) or BTW (by the way) myself when on Facebook or running out of characters in a text, but I really don’t think these ‘words’ (as they are now classified, I suppose) constitute recognition in the academic world.
After all, will it now become acceptable for a school pupil to hand in an assignment riddled with questionable language? Will it be okay for an employee in the corporate world to do the same? But now all he or she will have to do is point their teachers or superiors to the nearest dictionary and voila, there it is, an acceptable choice of word.
But LOL CYI what the English language will start to look like in a few years time? IMHO, anytime you’re not chatting with your BFF on FB you should be applying correct grammar and spelling to your words, but it seems most people CBB. ADN we’ll stop bothering with correct spelling altogether and our English will be as bad as it is in America….
Most concerning of the new inclusions in the dictionary, however, is perhaps the heart graphic (typed on Facebook as greater than 3) named ‘to heart’.
Now we’re adding symbols? That defies the laws of English, surely? I mean, it has no letters in it!?
But, despite me (and all the grammar Nazis out there) having a big problem with this, it’s still happening, and will probably continue to happen year after year until English is something we no longer recognise.
If you ask me that’s a great shame.
For those still trying to figure it out – here’s a legend for you to use:
LOL Laugh out loud
OMG Oh my God
FYI For your information
BTW By the way
CYI Can you imagine
IMHO In my honest/humble opinion
BFF Best friend forever
FB Facebook
CBB Can’t be bothered
ADN Any day now
