Changes in all areas of life (e.g. society, culture, medicine, technology etc.) have introduced new words into the English language. English is a living, breathing language that changes and expands to follow new ways of communicating and experiencing life. Sometimes existing words are joined together to form new ones. Here are a few examples from the hundreds that are added yearly to dictionaries according to the field they fall under.
Medicine
Cosmetic/plastic surgery
Organ transplants
Hair implants
Text messaging
OMW (on my way)
OOC (out of control)
b-day (birthday)
NBD (no big deal)
Technology
Screenager – a young person good at using computers and the internet
Cyberslaking – using the internet during working hours
Cybercelebrity – a person famous for their online appearances
e-card/e-picture/e-sig – cards, pictures and signatures sent by email
Films
Mini-me – a person closely resembling a younger version of another (from the film Austin Powers)
Muggle – a person who lacks a particular skill or skills (from the film Harry Potter)
Threequel – the third in a series of films, books, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment