While it appears that some people are embracing the cassette tape again, the Oxford English Dictionary isn’t one of them.
The dictionary will drop the phrase “cassette tape” from its next edition as well as the words “brabble” and “growlery” according to Time Magazine.
The OED will add words like “sexting” and “woot” to their list of definitions.
Some people aren’t taking the dropping of “cassette tape” from the dictionary sitting down, however.
The Huffington Postreports that Bucks Burnett, a music historian who owns the Eight Track Museum, is particularly aggrieved by the change and is boycotting the OED out of protest. “I’m going to ban the Oxford Dictionary from the museum. I have a copy and I’m going to recycle it,” he said. “This decision to remove the word was made inside a Starbucks by 20-something editors on their lunch break.”
Mouldy Squid says
I call Shennanigans. The OED does not “drop” words. The whole point is that the OED is a repository of the English Language. If the editors “dropped” words, then why would the keep archaic or obscure words dating back to the 9th century? Obscure, archaic and un-used words are pretty much the whole point of the OED. Time has its head up its backside.
Perhaps Time Magazine means that the OED will not include ‘Cassette Tape’ in its tiny abridged student dictionary. They certainly wouldn’t “drop” it from the full edition.
Summer says
So, is the word spelled wrong if they include it as “woot”?
I’d always thought that the “proper” Internet vernacular had it spelled “w00t”, and I can’t think of any current officially recognized English words that contain numerals.
And yes, I am confused. I still own cassettes, and have a boxes of them that still need to be converted to CD or MP3.
Fairuse says
As far as I can tell all the talk is about, ” This month heralds the publication of the centenary edition: the new 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary contains some 400 new entries, including cyberbullying, domestic goddess, gastric band, sexting, slow food, and textspeak. These additions are just carrying on the tradition of a dictionary that has always sought to be progressive and up to date. ” http://blog.oup.com/2011/08/concise/
Basic non-issue. One thing I noticed is the “include a word” has plenty of words, however, dropping a word has NO words saying how or why it is done.
I bet the FULL dictionary has “Cassette Tape” in it forever. The invention is signifiant.
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Mouldy Squid says
Well, I can see them not putting it into the Concise OED. It is only one volume and contains only the most known/most used words. The point remains, however, that non-inclusion in a one volume, modern language only, desk-reference edition is not anything the same as removal from the 26 volume full edition of the OED. I am a word-geek and it bothers the hell out of me when stories like this are reported; there should be a greater awareness of that the OED is and what it isn’t.
Of course it will remain in the full dictionary forever. That is the point of the OED.
And yes, Sam, it is w00t. Just like n00b. I have no doubt that if the OED does decide to include those words, they will do so correctly provided that the earliest textual reference to those words has them spelled w00t and n00b. If the first textual reference spells them ‘woot’ and ‘noob’ then that is how they will be spelled in the OED.
Shadoglare says
Are these the same brainiacs who decided “bootylicious” was worthy of being in the dictionary?
Mouldy Squid says
It’s not whether the word is “worthy” of being included, it is whether the word itself is being used and referenced enough that it has become part of the language. I am certain that the editors of the OED share your view (and mine) on that particular word, but if it meets the criteria for inclusion, they include it. Remember, there was a time when the term ‘Rock and Roll’ would have met the same resistance and scorn.