{"id":2431,"date":"2014-09-04T12:11:27","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T12:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=2431"},"modified":"2014-09-04T16:01:14","modified_gmt":"2014-09-04T16:01:14","slug":"oxford-dictionary-new-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/oxford-dictionary-new-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford Dictionary Added \u201cClickbait\u201d to the Dictionary\u2013You Won\u2019t Believe What Happened Next!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ll take a look at some of the newest words added to the Oxford English Dictionary this month, and examine some of the broader implications.<\/em>\"dictionary\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Oxford Dictionary<\/a>\u00a0just added a bunch of new words to its dictionary for the quarter. Some people think the recent additions are\u00a0amazeballs<\/a>, but others think the whole issue is a\u00a0hot mess<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the deal with all of these slang additions<\/a>? They may make you do a\u00a0spit take<\/a>, it\u2019s true, but the words added to a dictionary at a specific time can give a lot of insight into some of the cultural changes taking place. Let\u2019s look, for example, at a few other words added to the Oxford Dictionary relatively recently.<\/p>\n

Muggle<\/a>: [noun, informal]: A person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill<\/h3>\n

Hopefully you know this by now, but this word is a term from the Harry Potter books. Muggle is a word that wizards in the book use for non-magical people. The word \u201cmuggle\u201d was added to the dictionary by our dear friends at Oxford in 2003\u2014that\u2019s just over ten years ago!<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s think about what was happening in 2003. We were in the midst of Pottermania, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had just been published. The Harry Potter series was encouraging more and more young people to pick up books and start reading across countries, languages, and cultures.<\/p>\n

Likewise, people started to pick up the vocabulary from the page and use it with each other. So why have it added to the dictionary? It captured the moment when Harry stepped off the page and into the cultural zeitgeist--and that\u2019s worth its incorporation into our lexicon, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

Meatspace<\/a>: [mass noun, informal]: The physical world, as opposed to cyberspace or a virtual environment.<\/h3>\n

You probably already know this, but up until recently, we just called meatspace \u201cthe world.\u201d We didn\u2019t even need a specific word for it because there was no such thing as cyberspace or virtual reality before about ten years ago.<\/p>\n

Meatspace came out as Internet slang, and as a way to talk about the real world in a light, tongue-in-cheek way that didn\u2019t actually degrade the denizens of the Internet, or people who felt that the things that happened in cyberspace were very much real.<\/p>\n

The rise of the Internet has changed so much of how we live our lives--from everything like banking, communication, and entertainment to silly things like reading Buzzfeed\u00a0listicles<\/a>\u00a0for procrastination (and yep, listicle is a word now, too). 'Meatspace' is one great example of the shifts that occur in the way we relate to each other.<\/p>\n

Frankenfood<\/a>: [mass noun, informal, derogatory]: Genetically modified food<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s another word that didn\u2019t have a reason to exist until recently. While cross-pollinated and strategically bred crops have been in use since our nomadic ancestors decided to settle down and start growing food, it\u2019s only in the last few years that genetically modified foods have become a hot-button issue.<\/p>\n

From their debut to the protests to anti-GMO legislation, genetically modified foods have had a roller coaster of a time in our global conversation. The words that we use to describe them also show our opinions about them!<\/p>\n

\n

The word frankenfood doesn\u2019t just give a description of your political views, it also evokes the language of classic literature. Are you amazeballs at English like Mary Shelly? Try our\u00a0English Level Test<\/a>\u00a0to find out.<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So are you\u00a0side-eyeing<\/a>\u00a0our friends at the Oxford Dictionary yet? We\u2019ll admit, the addition of some of the words (like YOLO, neckbeard, and hench<\/a>) seem a little\u00a0cray<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Well, let\u2019s look at some of the alternatives: the Academie Fran\u00e7aise is steadily streamlining the French language by systematically removing words<\/a> that have their roots in English or French teen slang. Which is better?<\/p>\n

\"TijsB\/Flickr<\/a>

TijsB\/Flickr<\/a>\u00a0The National Library of France (Have the French had it right all along?)<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, it seems to us that dictionaries are a reflection of a period of time. Sure, we hope that words like\u00a0anti-vaxing<\/a>\u00a0will soon be things of the past, but the incorporation of\u00a0cotch<\/a>\u00a0into everyday speech shows that certain marginalized groups are finally gaining influence.\u00a0Mansplaining<\/a>\u00a0has become a word that women can use to explain a phenomenon that they\u2019ve been experiencing all their lives.<\/p>\n

These words, though they may be colloquialisms, speak to the way that languages evolve as living entities. New words can show cultural values, demonstrate technological changes, and ultimately tell us about ourselves. It\u2019s a bit wonderful that there\u2019s a lasting way to keep track of all of those things.<\/p>\n

WDYT<\/a>? Tell us below in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ll take a look at some of the newest words added to the Oxford English Dictionary this month, and examine some of the broader implications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[236,27],"tags":[360,59,359,66,125,361,31],"class_list":["post-2431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-must-know","category-humour-offbeat","tag-dictionary","tag-english","tag-english-language","tag-language","tag-oed","tag-oxford-english-dictionary","tag-words"],"yoast_head":"\nOxford Dictionary Added \u201cClickbait\u201d to the Dictionary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We\u2019ll take a look at some of the newest words added to the Oxford English Dictionary this month, and examine some of the broader implications.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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