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w00t is 3rd Favorite Non-Dictionary Word
Jay writes "The word has been getting out apparently. No longer just a word for gamers, 'woot' now appears as #3 in Merriam-Webster's What's Your Favorite Word (That's Not in the Dictionary)? contest. It was beaten out by ginormous and confuzzled."
I've heard w00t of course, and ginormous, but where are people using the term "confuzzled"?
n00b should too!
Obviously these words haven't been included in the mainline dictionary, but its an increasing trend for modern slang and shortened terms to enter the dictionary. Whether such words should be included in dictionaries, which are important reference works is subjective, but I feel there is a danger that as more words that are subject to current conditions are added, dictionaries will have to become more dynamic and possibly lead to faster evolution of the language.
Business Voyeur
"pwnt", "noob", "frood", and "haxor"?
Why is it that when you believe something it's an opinion, but when I believe something it's a manifesto?
Well, although dictionaries are descriptive, there's always the question of how much they are supposed to describe. Are dictionaries supposed to describe ever niggly bit of the language, (which could be time consuming, because slang can evolve rather quickly) or should they only describe the parts of the language which are considered acceptable in formal writing?
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
We used sexcapade in college in the mid-80s, it's been around for a while.
The only one missing from your list is automagic.
While "proscriptive" is a word, it doesn't mean what you think is means and propably isn't the word you were intending to use!
You're right, it isn't redundant.
Unfortunately it isn't funny either.
Gamers, not geeks(Though most gamers assume they are geeks because they are fat and greesy) need new words. w00t was never a geek word, from day one it was "hey misunderstand me please"-slang. Geeks use words simpelminded people don't know of. And the people whining about Aim'girl stealing their slang should shape up and come to the conclusion that playing CounterStrike 24/5 doesn't make you good at computers. And ofcause stop trying to impress all the Aim'girlhotties(or fatties) with all their mighty geekslang.
The point isn't just the success or failure to communicate an idea. Depending on the language chosen, outside from any 'factual content', there is also conveyed: the writer's opinion of the reader; the writer's opinion of themselves; ancillary flavour; and more besides.
Text that is ungrammatical reads as sloppy thinking, or causes the reader to expend undue effort to decode the content, which can be irritating. It can gives the impression that the writer doesn't care at all about the reader, making the writer look careless, conceited or arrogant.
Language use is also a social marker. Phrases such as 'could care less', and 'lol' in written text are shibboleths, just as much as using the word 'shibboleth' is.
So if you wish to appear uneducated and arrogant, and annoy your readers, feel free to be slack with grammar.
Why do people complain so about poor grammar use? I think mainly because they feel that these extra channels of communication, and the fine distinctions that precise grammar use can distinguish, are important parts of the language. People clamouring for the acceptance of sloppy writing are seen as barbarians massing at the gate, wanting to loot and sack the culture while blind to the things that make it worthwhile. It's not just the ignorance which is affronting, but the way that such ignorance is seen to be becoming acceptable, with the concomitant blurring of expressive power and subtlety. It's like being forced to use Windows 95, because it's "good enough for everyone else".