THE OXFORD English Dictionary published its most recent edition on March 24. As always, in addition to revisions of its words, several new entries were enshrined in a respected lexicon of the English language. Some of the new words, however, deviated from the norm.
Commonplace words such as "headline" (v.), "biker" (n.) and "party-crasher" (n.) were incorporated into the dictionary alongside colloquial abbreviations like "OMG" (oh my gosh), "LOL" (laughing out loud) and "FYI" (for your information). Perhaps the most unusual addition was the symbol <3. Intended to be used as an alternative version of the verb "to heart," it was hailed by the dictionary as "the first English usage to develop via the medium of T-shirts and bumper-stickers," and is properly inserted into a sentence in place of the actual words. For example, "I <3 Charlottesville" is now recognized as appropriate English. The addition of such initialisms is not unique to this most recent edition. The newest inductees joined other condensed terms such as "TMI" (too much information) and "BFF" (best friends forever).
Regardless of one's opinion of the matter, current abbreviations are changing the way in which English is spoken. These slang terms no doubt are being added to the dictionary because of their gradually increasing prominence in popular culture and everyday life. With the ubiquity of Facebook, Twitter, texting and other mediums of instant communication, initialisms like OMG and LOL are being used more frequently. In fact, so numerous are the various abbreviations and acronyms on the Internet that they could amount to a small subgenre of English. Initialisms serve to both increase the speed with which a message can be typed and conserve space where only a certain number of characters may be allowed. For many people, they are simply more efficient than typing out full phrases.
Thus, a select few abbreviations deserve to be included in the dictionary that is the self-proclaimed "definitive record of the English language." Out of the myriad of possible inclusions, the most recent inductees, especially, should be in the dictionary because their usage is no longer representative of a generational gap. Previously, only kids and young adults used the aforementioned phrases in their vocabularies; now, members of preceding generations - those who did not grow up surrounded by the Internet - also are fully adept at using them. More and more adults are participating in online social media outlets, broadening the audience to which new initialisms are applicable.
Even though this slang represents a different way in which English is being used, it does not signify a total bastardization of the language. While society can expect the abbreviated vernacular to appear more often in the future, informal speech will not be included in well-written English. For example, scientific reports, scholarly papers or formal letters will not be using abbreviations beyond those traditionally recognized by the academic community. It is currently frowned upon to use contractions, let alone Internet jargon, in such works. Therefore, the short-run impact of accepting initialisms as apposite speech will not be an end to educated discourse. As long as there are recognized times and venues for each dialect, the two can be kept healthily apart.
Nevertheless, it is important that society recognizes the effect that new vernacular could have on subsequent generations. The older and current generations can recognize clearly the boundaries between traditionally accepted speech and newly accepted abbreviations since the latter only recently has become prominent. As more initialisms are added to dictionaries and absorbed into vocabularies, however, the line between proper English and slang may become blurred.
It is paramount, then, that the use of Internet lingo should be contained to informal computer-based situations, and not be allowed to spread uncontrollably into all areas of life. Although it will have no immediate negative impact, formally recognizing colloquial abbreviations may make it harder to maintain or improve society's ability to speak fluently. If that danger ever becomes a reality, the acceptance of abbreviated phrases should be halted. The alternative - speaking reduced to a glorified text message - is unquestionably less desirable.
Alex Yahanda is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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