RESOLUTION IDEA: SPELL REAL WORDS
#DailyMischief
That is all I ask, you guys. Is spelling out actual, real words too much to ask of people? My brain is really tired and doesn’t want to do all the freakin’ work any more, unkay? (Sarcasm and non-word use intentional, of course).
In all honesty, I’m sure you lovely people know how to spell beautifully. But the fact the Oxford English Dictionary recently decided that ♥, OMG and LOL were worthy of entries deserving etymology has me extremely distressed (don’t even get me started on their addition of “wassup”).
Really Oxford? How does one parse out the etymology of ♥? I thought you were on our side! You remember… the side that wants our kids to actually learn the meanings of full-length words, how to S-P-E-L-L them, and to actually use them in written communication?
I guess that aspiration went the way of Twitter, because you know what they say — the average shelf life of a tweet is only about 90 seconds.
So, it’s all over. I give up. I’m going the way of the Oxford English Dictionary.
So PLZ get outta my grillz n dont tell me wassup, cuz OMG… u n ur rules are like, whatevs… u know?
Or maybe not.
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Blog content copyright 2014, LISA JEY DAVIS a.k.a. Ms. Cheevious.
Elyse Salpeter says
Nooooo! I love that catch phrases are becoming part of the vernacular. LOL is the epitomy of me telling you that you said something funny, OMG – that you said something shocking, ROFL – that it’s REALLY funny, BRB – that I need to go do something with the clear meaning I’ll be right back. The fact that these are becoming so mainstream simply means they’re new meanings to things. I loooove them (though I do believe in business letters and school papers we should use correct English). 🙂 CuL8r!
MsCheevious says
Oh – don’t get me wrong Elyse… I’m all about using short cuts. Don’t EVER think about taking my short cuts away. 🙂
CR HIATT says
I’m a lady. How am I supposed to say ROTFLMAO if I have to spell it out? A well read lady doesn’t use curse words. Seriously, I get what you are saying. My high school English teacher is probably mortified about the new trend.
MsCheevious says
You go for it – SMH – I’ll be over here *shakes fist* … just kidding CR. I love it too! I need it! Just want people to learn to spell things out and know when it’s necessary… and do so. 🙂
Elyse Salpeter says
Excellent – we can definitely be more of a lady when we use acronyms!
MsCheevious says
EXACTLY!
Wakajak says
Ok – I’m with YOU! I hate all the abbreviations – ALTHOUGH . . . maybe they don’t know HOW to spell! ha ha!
MsCheevious says
True Wak… I’m thinking they don’t… Trust me. I’ve seen things even my own son posts which are obvious attempts at being adult and spelling things out, but fail. SAD.
Scott Bury says
Where did Oxford put ♥ in the dictionary?
MsCheevious says
Not sure Scott! SMH – they probably added a symbols section. LOL
Onisha Ellis says
I think al those mixed up letters were the accident of someone like me who seems to be losing their ability to spell. Someone read their grannies email and swiped the idea.
MsCheevious says
BAHAHAHA! You are probably right Onisha! I’m sure I did it that way at first! HAHA!
Teri Smieja says
Some I like: LOL, OMG, SMH, some I don’t like: FML…. I actually like that the dictionary is changing with the times. It’s as it should be. As long as the next generation can still write, read and speak in full words, I’m okay with it. 🙂
MsCheevious says
And THAT my dear … “as long as the next generation can still write, read and speak in full words” is the key… xo
Bob Nailor says
Time to worry – I actually saw LOL used in a novel and it wasn’t part of the text but a character’s thought. I was undecided so I thought – BRB…AFK.
Kemya Scott says
OMG it’s kinda scary, people really don’t know how to spell anymore, let alone understand grammar rules. I love my shortcuts too, but adding these to the dictionary is too much for me. My fabulous English teacher is probably screaming from the grave right about now.
Pretty soon we’ll all be grunting our words and have no use for a dictionary. I wonder how many kids actually use the dictionary??
MsCheevious says
You are SO right Kemya! thanks for coming by and commenting!
Eaeme says
Pet peeve is that English spelling, supposed to be something phonetic, has in many cases become a reference to the lost source of the word, and pronounced in a standardized fashion. The letters encode the meaning and hint at the sound: Night, Motion, Two, Enough, etc. Who(m) are we trying to fool? English orthography is getting nearer to that of Chinese – the ideogram is a ‘set of letters.’ They may, in principle, be pronounceable but often are not (particularly with varying English accents and dialects). The modern ideogram acronyms (LOL, OMG) are usually not spoken, they are used mostly just for reading. Call them shortcuts, but they have really become ideograms. (idiotgrams?). I, not being of this modern world of text and twitter, do not understand most of them, but thanks be to Oxford. If only they could just keep up with the rush of those newly created. This could not have worked with the ink and paper Oxford. Only the electronic internet Oxford has a slight chance of keeping vaguely current. Language is living, evolving communication,; incorrect spelling is a private effort to catch up.
I just love your whining, it really makes me think. LOL
eaeme
Some acronyms that have become real words: “radar”, “laser”, “maser” “NASA”
Some acronyms that have become common words that are pronounced as letters: USA, LGBT, AM, PM. BC, AD, . ETA, ETD, TWA, and many gov’t agencies FBI. NSA, IRS, WPA; they go on forever.