Pop Culture Words Make It into Oxford's Online Dictionary, EReflect Announces
New York City, NY (PRWEB) October 01, 2013 -- Whether taking a selfie or starting a digital detox one thing is evident to many people: the Internet and technology are the two primary sources of new words recently added to the online Oxford Dictionary. According to eReflect’s latest blog post, this predominance of cyber-influenced words is the result of ever-increasing online social interactions and the ubiquity of technology in everyday life.
Technology has always been a rich source of new words, phrases, abbreviations, acronyms, and portmanteaus which help make the English language even more kaleidoscopic and variegated, eReflect notes. A selfie, the act of taking a self-portrait photo with a smartphone, is a daily activity or issue for discussion for many young people. A digital detox, the conscious abstinence from engaging with social media and the Internet more generally, is gaining popularity with people who are concerned about becoming social media addicts. Words such as digital detox, BYOD (bring your own device), and emoji (smiley faces expressing emotions or ideas) show how immersed technology is in people’s lives, as an eReflect representative emphasized in an announcement today. The pervasiveness of the Internet and technology is ultimately reflected in how people, and therefore the language they use, adopt and incorporate these words and expressions.
The eReflect representative noted that when building vocabulary, a person shouldn’t focus on knowing only basic vocabulary with a few additional words from more academic, formal language. A good English speaker needs to be up to date with all the latest words added to the English language because these are used in everyday conversations and online interactions, eReflect advised.
A series of abbreviations including, srsly (seriously) and apols (apologies) also made it into the Oxford dictionary, another proof of how powerful and influential pop culture is in how the English language evolves and enriches itself.
It is easy to choose to ignore or refuse to use these words, the eReflect representative said, and eliminating tech-focused words from vocabulary practice won't generally cause communication breakdowns. However, keeping modern words out of vocabulary practice will show an unwillingness to accept how overwhelmingly ubiquitous technology and the Internet are in these modern times.
For more information on how you can benefit from Ultimate Vocabulary, please visit its official website, http://www.ultimatevocabulary.com.
About Ultimate Vocabulary™
Ultimate Vocabulary provides a proven and powerful platform, built to improve anyone’s vocabulary.
The interactive self-improvement system provides more learning tools than any other program on the market, as well as more information on words.
The Ultimate Vocabulary software provides each and every user with a personal computer tutor. Providing a step-by-step guide to learning a powerful vocabulary, Ultimate Vocabulary is the learning tool everyone can benefit from.
Rick Wilson, eReflect, +1 (408) 520-9803, [email protected]
Share this article