Web speech in the dictionary?

Is web speech really taking over the written word and changing the way students write their papers?

The respected Oxford American Dictionary has added a large list of new words that have been inspired by web speech from texting, Facebook, IM’s, etc.

Now, when you open up the dictionary you can see a bunch of web idioms and slang that has been added to the dictionary.

Here are some of the words that were inspired by technology:

• BFF: Best friend forever

• Defriend: Stop being someone's friend, a la Facebook

• Hashtag: Using the pound sign (#) to create a keyword, a la Twitter

• Interweb: A funny term for the internet

• LMAO: Laughing my ass off

• TTYL: Talk to you later

According to the article, the New Oxford American Dictionary has slowly been adding cultural slang, but with the latest edition, it is currently at its highest point. Here is a list of some new words and phrases I found on a blog that have been added to the Oxford Dictionary. http://blog.oup.com/2010/09/noad3/ (some additions include: bromance n. informal a close but nonsexual relationship between two men.– ORIGIN early 21st cent.: blend of brother and romance., tramp stamp n. informal a tattoo on a woman’s lower back.- are these words seriously necessary?)

Oxford English Dictionary has also started to add web-inspired words and p
hrases. Because of the decline in sales, the book (now 126 years old) recently said it was going to go all digital for the new version- the Oxford English Dictionary, Volume 3.

I think this is weird. I remember in 5^th grade, we used to have “dictionary training” to help us look up a word in the dictionary, because when you are younger, this is not a simple thing to do. It’s interesting to me that nowadays, I must admit, I never open up the physical dictionary to look up a word (unless I am taking an exam). I always jump on my laptop and put it into dictionary.com or whatever site that can get me the definition of a word the quickest and easiest.

It’s good that Oxford is trying to get with the times. But what will school do when students can use texting language and Twitter language that is clearly supported by the dictionary itself?

Doesn’t a word’s place in a dictionary mean that it’s a “real” word? Or is this actually becoming a real language now? On a forum on CNN.com regarding this matter, a user, who is a teacher, wrote: “I spent a few years teaching college, and you wouldn't believe the number of papers I used to get written in Webspeak. This isn't just the old generation turning their noses up at the young. Education has dipped to a shocking low, and Oxford should be ashamed for helping it along.”

(Image from Laura Vegas' Blog)

I don’t know what to say. Maybe it’s hard for me to form an opinion, because I don’t have a problem separating my “web talk” from my academic writing. I would never in my life write LOL or BFF in a paper. It’s interesting to me that this teacher has seen it in a number of papers. I just find it hard to believe that the new generation would have that problem. Then again, I did not grow up with those words in the dictionary. I think it’s really up to the parents or teachers to teach these children, who are growing up in a completely digitalized word that there is a difference between the way we speak on the internet (or text massages) than the way we speak in an academic setting. These “web words”, in my opinion, should probably be in a separate dictionary, not in the same one that is used by students- it’s just not appropriate.

Sources:
Article: LOL- "Webspeak" invades Oxford Dictionary by Damon Brown, CNN