Gozer_1

Recently Merriam Webster announced the winner of "Word of the Year". It was voted on and entered into the dictionary. That word is an unusual word. A word spelled with numbers. Yes I said spelled with numbers. That word is w00t. Spelled with 2 zeros.............. officially. My question for you is:
What do you think of this addition. Is it a sign of the degradation of the English language or the natural evolution of a civilization or society? I my self consider many things to be words that just really aren't. I use "lol" so much I think lol when somethings funny. Not something I'd ever use when speaking but I think it. I say sure w00t is a word. If enough people use a word it becomes part of the language. Therefore it becomes a word. I don't think someone needs to officially make a word a word. Ain't is a word you just sound silly saying it. lol

Chief_waterchanger

It is slang. The fact that they are now allowing slang to be considered worthy of the dictionary is a plus, in my book. Each generation will have their mark on the languge by their slang, as each generation's is different. I think that will be a great tool for historians in a few hundred years.

Everyone I know says 'Ain't'... but I live in Tennessee. We say things like Dog-gone (which means 'dang'), and Jeff Foxworthy has commercialized it a bit, but his little redneck words are actually words used around these parts.

COBettaCouple

Growing up in Florida, ain't seems like a normal thing to say. To me w00t sounds silly, but I remember it's origins from that very-annoying rap song in the 90s. Usually I like slang, just don't know about this one.. and what about regional slang like "youse guys"

Allie

Woot there it is..
It's slang and I never say it....I prefer woo hoo!!! Eh?

MagpieTear

Git out! Y'inz are crazy anat.

Pittsburghese for "No way! You are all crazy!"

Not only do generations catch phrases impact the evolution of language, but regional words that move beyond their area of birth. No problem with w00t here, but Merriam Webster doesn't count. It's not officially a word in my book until it's in the Oxford English Dictionary.

COBettaCouple

LOL.. yea, my parents are from Pittsburgh and they say Y'inz still.. lol

cmbjohnson

you have got to be joking...i agree with cwc that slang belongs in the dictionary, (that's what it's for, defining words we are unfamiliar with). I would imagine though, that when slang is found in the dictionary, it states that the word is just that...slang! right? now i'm curious and will probably check it out. anyway...w00t is seriously pushing it, don't ya think? how do they come up with zeros for spelling? and how is it used when it wouldn't be completely obvious that it's nothing more than a fun nonsense word?

good topic, gozer...interesting!!

w00t? why not "uh-huh" or "bontchikabounow"?

cmbjohnson

check it out...wow!

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=w00t

COBettaCouple

it does make me wonder if other texting words will be added.. ppl, nbd, idk, omg, brb, bbs, bbl, ttys, ttyl .. the list goes on & on.. if w00t is a word, so are those.. i think something like 4 billion texts were sent last year and way more this year, so those 'words' are being used as much as 'w00t'.

Sabi

Can someone tell me how to pronounce "w00t"? Never heard of it

COBettaCouple

like hoot, but with a w.

Gozer_1

I think when a slang term becomes so well known that it is used regularly by a LARGE number of people it becomes part of the language as a whole and therefore, a word. The thing with a word like w00t is, that it isn't used so much in the spoken language. It's part of a new evolution of the written language. Like shorthand for a digital generation. Benjamin Fraklin had an entirely differnet way to represent the english language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjami...netic_alphabet Imagine spelling things how they sound. What crazy idea. Words like w00t and LOL and are just an example of a slower change than Ol' Ben Ken....Oh I mean Fraklin had created.

voiceless_kat

Every once in a while, something comes along that makes one feel old and out of touch. "w00t" happens to be one of these things.. I don't even get the examples on that link

I have no problem with it being a word in the dictionary, but I would like to see those using it also be able to use proper grammar and spelling of the other "real words" in an english language dictionary. ( Like, ya know what I mean??)
I second the vote for the Oxford English Dictionary.

Dog-gone it, "ain't" isn't a word. Three raps on your knuckles with a ruler

How can it be pronounced "w00t" as in "hoot" if it is spelled
" w-zero-zero-t" ?

Oh, oh, my age is showing!! BFN...SYL

Chief_waterchanger

The only difference with bbl, ttyl, ttys, etc is that they are abbreviations. As far as I know w00t is not. It is spelled with 0 but pronounced as if they were o's. Woot, hoot, doot, boot, moot, poot, etc. Pronounced like all of them with a W instead of the letter they start with.

MagpieTear

Is w00t actually a popular texting bit? (I'm seriously anti-cell phone, so I don't know) I always run across it as a exclamation of great joy online though. And check out www.woot.com. Great deals on neat gadgets and junk.

COBettaCouple

reading up on w00t though at that wikipedia it is used for different abbreviations and the word whoot is the original non-abbreviation w00t.

King_Snuggles

you need to add choice C. to your poll. C. Both.
w00t is an evolving word in our language and the language is deteriating from our concept of "proper english" proper english has been dead for some time. In america we speak american english, which is why us and the europeans have many different words and many different meanings for the same words. "slang" is the term we are using to call our evolving language. Back in the 60's curse words were offersive. Today everyone uses them and they have lost their power.

outlaw

As stated in the other examples it originally meant "We Owned Other Team" WOOT, but then turned in to 1337$p34|< which is more commonly associated with gaming. I see a lot of it when I am playing Counter-Strike. 1 <4|\| P\/\/|\| |\|()()85! lol

w00t
pwnd
1337
noob

Can read up on it if your bored here. l33tsp34k

Tayful

I think it's degrading. I'm all for new words, but words spelled with numbers, especially ones so ridiculous.. Well, it IS ridiculous.

Narcicius

Dude it is a word to only those who know what it means so if it makes it into a dictionary and many begin to know of its meaning then shouldn't it become a word, and nobody that isn't extremely lonlely is worried about "proper" speaking nowadays.

King_Snuggles

its very sad, even my generation sounds like a bunch of degenerates

MissMTS

I am all for using slang, but since it comes and goes, I don't know if it should be added to the dictionary. I'm young and I don't even know what "w00T" means. It sounds kinda rediculous to me. The dictionary is a reference to the English language. I use abbreviations like lol,ttyl,brb,etc. all the time, but I wouldn't expect them to be added to the dictionary. Plus, you can't even sound "w00T" out because it is spelled with numbers. I dunno, to wierd for me...........

Gozer_1

The dictionary is truly meant to be a record of language used in a time period. As new words come in some old unused words are taken out. The dictionarys purpose is to show these comings and goings. You pronounce the zeros as Os BTW. lol I feel it really shows the DEEP impact technology has on our society. It goes so deep that it directly affects our language even.

I just wanted to bring up Franklins alphabet again. This guy tried to change the very fundamentals of our written language. An entirely new alphabet. I see the use of alternative symbology (ie zeros instead of Os) as the same thing only in the slow approach. Sure using the zeros doesn't make huge change to the language but what about using some single symbol for "TH". &en &ings might look like &is. &e words sound &e same but look very strange. The only way for a language (or anything else) to survive is to adapt. The fact that language comes from the mind of man makes it like a living entity that grows and changes as it's use and environment change. Language must evolve to stay relivent. It's relative to the people who use it. The lesson Franklin learned (unknowingly I'm sure) is that you can't force evolution.

zpecialt

Haha! I've never been a yinzer, but anat/n'at is a frequent part of my vocab. I also call our Pittsburgh Steelers the "Stillers" and downtown is "dawntawn."

So sad!

lalynya

its nothing close to being a word

tan.b

interesting debate! i do think new words should of course go in the dictionary (eg, new species/equipment/inventions etc)....but alot of modern slang tends to go through phases, and if the word is just a passing phase that will disappear as quick as it came, then its pointless putting it in, and silly slang words should stay out of the dictionary. kids will be using these silly words in essays which reduces the credibility, but if the kid turns round and says "it is a proper word....its in the dictionary" what can you say?! also..... just wondering.....what defines slang and dialect, as the uk (unsure of other countries) has alot of dialect words.....i'm wondering if they're in the dictionary? eg "ginnel" which means alleyway/snicket which seems to be a northern word.