Should the Oxford's word of the year to be included in a formal dictionary - Research Paper Example

? Oxford’s New Words: Should they be Included in a Formal Dictionary? Introduction English is an international language which continues to evolve andexpand as it is widely used by many people. The language is used for reading, writing, and speaking across different countries. To facilitate common understanding, all these words, whether easy or hard, common or unique should be appropriately documented in a dictionary (Winchester 87, qtd. in Brown). In the recent years, the society has used various words for informal communication and self expression in the internet. Among the most popular are the words “selfie, bitcoins, and twerk” which Oxford had announced as the new international words of 2013 (Rabe). This paper attempts to describe the qualifications of new words to be placed in a dictionary. It will also illustrate the implications for educators and students for including Oxford’s new words in a formal dictionary. Finally, it attempts to show why these new words should not be contained in formal dictionaries. Definition of Oxford’s New Words The new Oxford’s international words were developed at the height of technology and digital communication. For instance, selfie is used to describe a person who is fond of taking pictures of oneself which are then posted in the social networking sites. This word was first used in an online forum in Australia (Rabe). In addition, twerk is defined in the social media as “work hips in a sexual way” (“Twerk”). On the other hand, bitcoin refers to the new form of currency for making online purchases. It has been popularized as the new digital currency (“Bitcoin”). At present, the usage of bitcoins is still in the experimental stage so there is a probability that this word will not remain permanent. Qualification of Words in Formal Dictionary The general rule for a new word to be qualified in a dictionary is that the word should gain a significant number of citations from different publications. This proves that many people are using the word. However, this rule does not apply to all situations. There are cases when too many citations give editors difficulty to identify the real meaning of the word (“How Does a Word”). For instance, after the word selfie became popular in an online forum in Australia, several words were also developed such as “drelfie” to refer to “drunken selfie” and “welfie” for “workout selfie” (Rabe). Moreover, a new word should also be cited for at least two to three years in various sources before it can be placed in a printed and formal dictionary (“How Do You Decide”). Many of the new words such as selfie, bitcoins, and twerk that were recognized by Oxford come largely come from social media. Since there is a lack of variation of sources, the new words still lack qualification even though they have reached an enormous amount of citations from social networking sites. A group of editors is responsible for evaluating whether or not certain new words are qualified to be placed in a formal dictionary. Their judgments are primarily based on the currency of the words, clarity of meaning, and the establishment of the words in the language of a society (“How Does a Word”). For this reason, editors need to have a substantial period of time to effectively evaluate the qualification of the new words. With the presence of the internet, it is very easy for certain words to become highly popular and gain numerous citations. Thus, the editors should not base their judgments solely on the frequency of citations. This applies to the various new words that Oxford is considering to place in its formal dictionary. Moreover, the new words identified by Oxford especially selfie and twerk are commonly considered as slang words which are used for informal communication in blogs and online forum among surfers in the internet community. This is evident in the dictionary for slang words which defines selfie as a photograph of oneself which is taken by oneself (“Selfie”) Implications to English Education Formal dictionary is an important source of information for teachers in imparting knowledge to their students. Dictionary is also equally important for students who are doing a formal study of English and communications at schools. It helps students find relevant words which they can use in public speech and research courses. Thus, it is necessary that the words contained in the dictionary are widely accepted in the field of formal education. Since selfie and twerk are considered as slang words, it is inappropriate for students to apply them in their written and oral communication subjects. However, students rely heavily on the credibility of a dictionary. In effect, they may acquire the confidence to use selfie and twerk in their English classes as soon as they find it in formal dictionaries. Moreover, it is unlikely that teachers will accept written reports and exams containing these new words since slang terms do not meet the standard for formal and effective writing skills. Furthermore, studies showed that there is a significant relationship between the increased usage of internet slang words among students and their skills in technical and business writing. The study on the submitted output of students in schools showed that many of them are applying various internet slangs in their formal written projects (Tomaszewski). This poses a significant threat to the quality of formal English skills that students will acquire in the long term. The situation may also exacerbate if the new social media words of 2013 which was announced by Oxford will be incorporated in the formal dictionaries. Conclusion The advent of internet and social media has brought the emergence of new words which are widely used in online communications such as social networking sites. Some of these new internet words gained increased usage across many nations. This brought Oxford to recognize selfie, bitcoin and twerk as the world’s new international words for 2013. In spite of this recognition, these words should not be included in a formal dictionary immediately. They still need to undergo rigorous evaluation based on their exact meaning, and the extent to which the words are fully established in the society and this requires substantial time and effort. In addition, the new Oxford words are also considered as internet slang words which can negatively affect the technical and formal English communication skills of students once they apply the words in schools. Therefore, at present, these new Oxford’s words should not be immediately included in the pages of formal dictionaries. Works Cited “Bitcoin.” Techopedia Online Dictionary,Techopedia Web. 29 Nov. 2013 Brown, Renee. “Essay: The Oxford English Dictionary.” Indiana University of Pennyslvania, IUP Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “How Do you Decide whether a New Word Should be Included in an Oxford Dictionary?” Oxford University Press, OUP Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “How Does a Word Get into a Merriam Webster Dictionary?” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, 2013 Web. 28 Nov. 2013. Rabe, John. “Sorry, Twerk and Bitcoin, selfie is Oxford’s Word of the Year.” Southern California Public Radio, SCPR 18 Nov. 2013 Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “Selfie.” Internet Slang Dictionary, Internet Slang Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Tomaszewski, Jason. “Do Texting and Cyber Slangs Harm Students Writing Skills?” EducationWorld 2011 Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “Twerk.” Internet Slang Dictionary, Internet Slang Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Read More