Interview on CBC’s “Q with Shad,” “Should We All Just Chillax About the Death of English?” (June 9, 2015)
WTF is in the dictionary. Can we guess your reaction?
The informal abbreviation of “what the f–k” joins words like “clickbait”, “photobomb” and “emoji” as new entries in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
The latest additions have journalist Barry Saunders shaking his head. He says syntax and grammar sticklers may as well hand in their weapons. The battle is lost.
Ben Zimmer, on the other hand, says Saunders may be overreacting a touch. The Vocabulary.com editor and language columnist says neologisms like “clickbait” just demonstrate how English, a living language, continues to reinvent itself.
Both join Shad to discuss social media’s effect on slang-slinging youth culture and the real work of lexicographers.