Wassup man – OMG the language is changing!!

 

As this is my first blog I intended introducing myself and asking how you are doing today.  Then I thought hell no – “wassup” does it so much better, and omg it is in the Oxford English Dictionary (as is omg – lol).  Guess what? Lol is too, lol!

Now don’t get me wrong I loved the advertisement campaign for Budweiser beer, which was first aired in 1999.  I like it so much that I have uploaded a clip from you-tube, so if there is anyone out there who has not seen any of the commercials, they can have a look at what I am talking about. It was a very popular campaign and I am full of praise for the person who thought it up. For a while it was even funny when people walked into the office and used it as a greeting, although I must admit it soon became slightly aggravating and I was relieved when people returned to the more conventional “good morning”.     

    

The question I have though is, should this word be in the dictionary?  I accept and applaud the fact that English language is an organic thing that changes and grows over time, but is “wassup” really a new word or is it just an incorrect way of pronouncing “what’s up?”  Would you employ someone who used this as a greeting in a job interview?  I probably wouldn’t, well not unless it was for a role working as a children’s entertainer or maybe a radio presenter.  I suppose the question I am trying to ask is, should we add words or phrases to the dictionary just because they become popular for a while, in a very informal way?  I have not heard anyone use this expression in a long time. It was of its time, it was funny, it was popular and then it disappeared.  Adding words to the dictionary surely legitimises them and implies that they can be correctly used.  I feel sorry for anyone with English as a second language trying to navigate their way through the maze of when it is appropriate to use such words and when it is not.

As new words are added to the Oxford English dictionary four times a year there are many other examples. In March 2011 the word “heart” was added as a verb, as in “I heart New York” (I love New York).  It appears this word can now be interchanged with “love”. The T-shirts and mugs were a great idea, but do we really need a new, and incorrect, way to say I love you?

A whole batch of new words was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in December 2012.  On examination, most of them seem a little boring and technical. However there was one word that stood out for me and that was “senioritis”. This is apparently used to describe the decreased motivation of students nearing the end of their school or college studies.  Who knew?   

If you are confused by this minefield of language and grammar you might like to visit my website www.writtenenglishcorrected.com