It's that time of year, and I'm always so excited! No, not for making and breaking resolutions. For Lake Superior State University's annual list of words that should be banned from the dictionary! It's my one time of year that I, as editor of the online training newsletter for The Bob Pike Group, get to indulge my love (and hate) of the English language and those who use, and abuse, it.
For its 2014 list, some of the key terms folks feel ought to be excluded from the English language include that have some relevance to training and development:
Hashtag
We'll start with this one because Twitter, where the hashtag (versus the pound sign) seems to have originated, has quite a following in the learning and development community. Why should it be banished? "Typed on sites that use them, that's one thing. When verbally spoken, hashtag--itgetsoldquickly. So, hashtag--knockitoff," suggested Kuahmel of Gardena, Calif. Of course, Lake Superior, in its introduction of the term, did add, "Nearly all who nominated it found a way to use it in their entries, so we wonder if they're really willing to let go."
Selfie
"A self-snapped picture need not have a name all its own beyond 'photograph.' It may only be a matter of time before photos of one's self and a friend will become 'dualies,'" said Ryan of North Andover, Mass., in his nomination of this term for banishment. My other favorite quote on this term is from Lisa in New York, N.Y. who had this tongue-in-cheek nomination: "Myselfie disparages the word because it's too selfie-serving. But enough about me, how about yourselfie?"
Twerk/Twerking
This term has already found its way into the Oxford Dictionary Online, according to LSSU, and according to one nominator, should already be removed! But Bob of Tempe, Ariz., seems to have decided to just create a new definition for it. When asked where he's headed Monday mornings, he responds, "T'werk."
For other terms that should be banished, click here.
