The Concise Oxford English Dictionary celebrates its centenary this year and, just like one hundred years ago, technology and social trends dominate the latest editions. In keeping with its illustrious history, there is no shortage of controversy surrounding new entries with ‘retweet’, ’mankini’ and ‘cyberbullying’ among the latest inclusions.
Traditionalists may also be horrified to discover that ‘jeggings’, ‘bromance’ and ‘BFF’ (best friend forever) have found their way into the newest edition of the iconic Chambers dictionary. They may now even let out a dictionary approved cry of ‘OMG!’, although we doubt they would stoop to that. The changes are not restricted to the UK: over in the US, top-selling dictionary Merriam-Webster now includes the terms 'crowdsourcing', 'tweet' and 'social media', reflecting the prominent role that technology plays in 21st-century life.
For many years the dictionary has offered an important document of how language and, on a wider scale, society has developed. Just as today’s dictionary reflects the prominence of youth culture and new fashions, so the 1911 edition included terms such as ‘petticoat’, ‘frock’ and ‘cancan’ (an “indecent dance”). It is interesting to wonder which of the latest entries will survive the test of time and which will be forgotten, much like the ‘foozle’*, ‘growlery’** and ‘brabble’*** of yesteryear.
It is clear that the twelfth edition of the COED, which features 400 new words among 240,000 entries, is seeking to maintain its cultural relevance, particularly among young people. Meanwhile, David Swarbrick, managing director at Chambers, said “young people are the real artists of language and a dictionary should reflect that.” However, with the pace at which language develops, ever accelerating due to the instant-response culture of the internet, what is the role of the dictionary today, in 21st-century life? Can we rely upon a dictionary to keep us informed of the latest language? Indeed, should the dictionary be concerned only with 'correct' language usage and leave slang to young people and UrbanDictionary.com?
Let us know what you think of the latest entries by leaving a comment below, and for a free quote from a professional translation agency that stays on top of all the latest linguistic developments, contact TransAction.
* to do clumsily
** a place in which to growl (don’t worry, we’re still confused by this one too!)
*** a noisy quarrel
