Wednesday 28 August 2013

Is It Just Me: That Thinks The Dictionary Writers Should Twerk Off?

Ah, the English Dictionary, the tome which always had a place on your teachers book shelf, and which was only gotten out at home to settle Scrabble disagreements, has been updated.

See, it's all gone technical now with an online, free to use version, and as a result it's updated now fairly regularly. 

The thing is, are there certain pop culture terms which are best left out of it?


In my opinion, yes.

Its the Oxford English Dictionary- the clue is in it's title. So why oh why every year now do they add Americanisms and even- dare I say it- text speak? 

This year they've decided to add "Twerk" to the thing.

Twerk, for those who don't know, is what that god forsaken talentless fool Miley "Look at me I'm poking out my tongue like I've down too much speed" Cyrus is ahem, known for. It's whereby one stands with their legs bent and wiggles ones ass in time to music. Basically, like a lap dancer minus a chair to gyrate on.

Do we really need to add this "five minute wonder" in? I can imagine in twenty years from now some one using it on Countdown and there being a reminiscent giggle from the crowd. 

Is Miley (or Smiley Virus as she's known in our house) really well known enough that such a silly term for a stripper dance to warrant a word she's associated with being added to an English dictionary? 

What's next, Directioner? Belieber? Surely that;s what the Urban Dictionary was invented for, for flash in the pan, forgotten about ten years on words which we wont be needing in years to come? 

Has the Dictionary gone Chav all of a sudden? 

They've also decided to add "selfie" to it, which surely needs no write up but merely a picture of Helen Flanagan and Amanda Bynes doing said self photo, and a link to the definition "car crash"? I would love to write the description for selfie- " self absorbed photo of insignificant person who is clearly bored so does duck lips for a modicum of attention- see also "Big Brother Contestant""

Please, oh Oxford people who write the new versions, please practice some sense and place words which we actually all use everyday in the book. 

Not one's used purely to express horror over that show a few days ago.

2 comments:

  1. It's ridiculous!
    hahaha at Smiley Virus....Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post! As an author I find it totally ludicrous to be adding these 'non-existent', 'non-meaning', stupid words that people seem to invent. And the fact these people have a name that is often seen in trash mags for, let's face it, all the wrong reasons, makes this ridiculous idea to keep updating the dictionary with "trendy" words, completely insulting to the British population!

    I think we should all start making words up.

    CJ x

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