belated WOTY

[Miller, Jerry]

Dennis: I'm a "scairdy-cat," I suppose, because language -- and the use
thereof - does tend to reflect the intelligence and values of the society
that uses it. I am not afraid of changes in language, so long as they
maintain some semblance of intelligence, reason, and/or effectiveness,
rather than ignorance and sloth (at least one of which is a deadly sin,
isn't it?). If Henry Kissinger or Hunter S. Thompson reshapes the language,
I'm probably ready for it; when computer geeks and indolents do it, I am
naturally suspicious (an old journalist, you know?). The old saying,
"Consider the source," should be applied here, too, it seems to me.

Jerry Miller

P.S. To Natalie, I simply used "worm" as a play on (computer) words.


        Words from internet worming their way into the language scary?
Wouldn't it
        be scary if they didn't?
        Why are you such a scairdy-cat?
        dInIs

        >Dennis: I guess what is scary is that, before long Internet
shorthand (which
        >is where I first came into contact with "my bad," being a long way
from
        >either playground basketball sites or the East Coast) will "worm"
its way
        >into the language as real words -- e.g., "lol," "imho" (pronounced
"im-ho"
        >presumably), or even "woty" (pronounced "woe-tee"?).
        >
        >Jerry Miller
        >
        >
        >> -----Original Message-----
        >> From: Dennis R. Preston [SMTP:preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU]
        >> Sent: Monday, January 10, 2000 3:30 PM
        >> To:   ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
        >> Subject:      Re: belated WOTY
        >>
        >> "My bad" is way too old (and not exclusively so important this
year) to be
        >> WOTY this year (at least among us old-jocks).
        >> But why is such usage "scary"? What's gonna happen?
        >>
        >> dInIs
        >>
        >>
        >> >I'm sure I am very late in chiming in on the Word of the Year
(and I am
        >> >probably repeating what someone else suggested but I missed),
but, in a
        >> >mental flash of lightning, it dawned on me what the WOTY had to
be. That
        >> >would be "bad" used as a noun, as in (cybertalk) "my bad."
        >> >This all came to me when I heard a sports announcer for one of
the bowl
        >> >games on TV use it to explain why a player tapped his own chest
after a
        >> play
        >> >was botched. It gets very scary when Internet shorthand edges
toward
        >> >standard usage.
        >> >
        >> >Jerry Miller
        >> >Pulliam School of Journalism
        >> >Franklin College
        >> >millerj at franklincoll.edu
        >>
        >>
        >> Dennis R. Preston
        >> Department of Linguistics and Languages
        >> Michigan State University
        >> East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
        >> preston at pilot.msu.edu
        >> Office: (517)353-0740
        >> Fax: (517)432-2736


        Dennis R. Preston
        Department of Linguistics and Languages
        Michigan State University
        East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
        preston at pilot.msu.edu
        Office: (517)353-0740
        Fax: (517)432-2736