LOL, OMG and FYI have been added to the on-line Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its latest revision.
Other new additions to what is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language include the "heart" symbol (as in I "heart" New York), "Wags" and "singledom". Muffin top" has also gone in, meaning "a roll of flesh which hangs visibly over a person’s tight-fitting waistband". A spokesbod for the OED said:
And why not? These "words"/expressions are widely in use and if you don't like them, simple, don't use them.
OMG back to a personal letter from 1917, while LOL goes back to the 1960s, when it denoted an elderly woman (or "little old lady), and FYI originated in the language of memoranda in 1941.
Other new additions to what is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language include the "heart" symbol (as in I "heart" New York), "Wags" and "singledom". Muffin top" has also gone in, meaning "a roll of flesh which hangs visibly over a person’s tight-fitting waistband". A spokesbod for the OED said:
"Some of these - such as OMG ("Oh my God" or sometimes "gosh", "goodness", etc) and LOL ("laughing out loud") - are strongly associated with the language of electronic communications (email, texting, social networks, blogs and so on). They join other entries of this sort: IMHO ("in my humble opinion"), TMI ("too much information") and BFF ("best friends forever"), among others.'
'OMG and LOL are found outside of electronic contexts, however; in print, and even in spoken use, where there often seems to be a bit more than simple abbreviation going on. The intention is usually to signal an informal, gossipy mode of expression, and perhaps parody the level of unreflective enthusiasm or overstatement that can sometimes appear in online discourse, while at the same time marking oneself as an "insider" au fait with the forms of expression associated with the latest technology."
And why not? These "words"/expressions are widely in use and if you don't like them, simple, don't use them.
OMG back to a personal letter from 1917, while LOL goes back to the 1960s, when it denoted an elderly woman (or "little old lady), and FYI originated in the language of memoranda in 1941.
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