Thanks to techno overload, expanding your vocabulary has never been so fun. Earlier this month, Merriam Webster announced its Word of the Year, and I’ve got to admit, I didn’t have a clue. 
The top ten are:
The number one word of the year?
According to Merriam-Webster’s president, John Morse, “w00t” was an ideal choice for the Word of the Year because it blends whimsy and new technology.
The New York Times reports:
“W00t,” a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph, topped all other terms in the Springfield-based dictionary publisher’s online poll for the word that best sums up 2007.
“It shows a really interesting thing that’s going on in language. It’s a term that’s arrived only because we’re now communicating electronically with each other,” Morse said.
Gamers commonly substitute numbers and symbols for the letters they resemble, Morse says, creating what they call “l33t speak” — that’s “leet” when spoken, short for “elite”‘ to the rest of the world.
I’m fascinated by this idea that language is shaped by 
“whimsy and new technology.” At one time, educators and authors framed the language; now it’s geeks fossilized in front of flatscreens. Nevertheless, I’m all about joining the l33t. Therefore, incorporating words like blamestorm, Sardoodledom and Pecksniffian are at the top of my list of New Year’s resolutions.
Perhaps it’s why I like the Lingo 2 Word engine so much. It translates text message acronyms and chat jargon into plain language, or vice-versa, so losers like me can appear semi-literate. How else would I learn that :-* = “a kiss” and (_!_) = “arse”? Alright, maybe it is cheating. But what do you expect from a guy with AAADD (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder).
Either way, this blending of “whimsy and new technology” is kinda fun! Hey, hu sEz I’m outa tuch?
How did people learn to speak like this? Years of reading vanity license plates?
As always, reading your blog is educational. Or rdng ur blg edunl.
Learning a new language? mup4it!
To speak 133t or not? Some might call it a conundrum, but I’m really apathetic about the whole thing. Yes, educational, Mike. I’ve seen my daughter write “w00t!” and picked up the meaning from context, but never would have guessed how the “word” came about. Miss Belbruno, my 8th grade English teacher, must be mortified…
Merry Christmas, Mike:)