If you’re the sort of person who calls themselves a logophile, or obsessed with blogs like other-wordly on Tumblr, then you’ll find it very exciting that over 150 new words have already been added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary so far this year: hashtag, selfie, and steampunk, to name a few.
Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster says,”So many of these new words show the impact of online connectivity to our lives and livelihoods.” What is now a hashtag was once just a number sign to most people before the Twitter revolution, and calling someone a tweep would be completely nonsensical. Now, however, many people need hot spots, enjoy a little dubstep now and then, and either know a fangirl or are one themselves.
Photo Credit: Weta Digital
Correspondingly, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is not alone when it comes to updating our vocabulary. Last March, the Oxford English Dictionary also added nine hundred new entries and subentries! If you have an obsession with books, you can proudly proclaim yourself an official bookaholic to your bestie, give them a death stare if they don’t believe it’s a real thing, and proceed to direct them to oed.com.
It’s getting increasingly obvious the way that current innovations in communication and technology, as well as persisting cultures in society are affecting the way we speak, perhaps permanently. Sciency, right?!
