News Room Contributor Posts: 1595 Joined: 19 Aug 2006 | "Fanboy" Finds Its Way Into Dictionary
Gamer lingo is getting acknowledged in Merriam-Webster's new edition of its Collegiate Dictionary.
With "woot" winning Merriam-Webster Online's 2007 Word of the Year contest, it's no surprise that the popular dictionary is trending toward technology talk.
Gamers will be glad to see "fanboy", a common word often used with a negative connotation in many gaming circles, get included in the next batch of 100-plus additions to the dictionary. To settle debates on "fanboy"'s definition, Merriam-Webster summarizes it as a "boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies."
Merriam-Webster editor Peter Sokolowski explained the simple process for determing if a word belongs in English.
"As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language," said Sokolowski. "If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it's ready to go in the dictionary."
Additional tech terms being included are "malware" (software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning), "netroots" (grassroots political activists who communicate via the internet, especially by blogs) and "Webinar" (live, online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments).
John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president, spoke on the simplicity of internet talk, "There's a kind of collective genius on the part of the people developing this technology, using vocabulary that is immediately accessible to all of us. It's sometimes absolutely poetic."
Source: Yahoo via Joystiq
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Gone Gonzo Posts: 2570 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 | Technically, it should be a person if they don't wish to imply that women don't play games...
That being said, I suppose this gives gaming culture (yep, you read write) another score in the video game called life. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2313 Joined: 10 Mar 2008 | Damnit, you beat me to it.
But this is pretty cool, the ol' dictionary is starting to become more technology like itself. |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 526 Joined: 13 Nov 2007 | Shouldn't the definition be, "Anyone who likes anything I don't like?" |
Muckraker Posts: 268 Joined: 15 May 2008 | Sylocat:
Shouldn't the definition be, "Anyone who likes anything I don't like?"
And who defends it to the bitter end even when they're wrong? |
Paperboy Posts: 27 Joined: 1 Dec 2007 | stompy:
Technically, it should be a person if they don't wish to imply that women don't play games...
This, or they should include 'fangirl' at the same time. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2570 Joined: 21 Jan 2008 | Northern:
stompy:
Technically, it should be a person if they don't wish to imply that women don't play games...
This, or they should include 'fangirl' at the same time.
But that just seems redundant. Unless of course they write it as fanboy/girl. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1344 Joined: 3 Apr 2008 | written by the redundancy department of redundancy.
anyway.... I call the 'Troll' will have a new meaning next year |
Paperboy Posts: 44 Joined: 9 Jul 2008 | I don't think "boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies" is the most common way of using "fanboy". Their current definition is just that of "fan boy", and assuming they have the words fan and boy in their dictionary, defning "fan boy" is pointless.
The impressian I have got is that "a person who is blindly devoted to products because they come from a specific company", and although containing "boy", it's considered gender neutral. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1093 Joined: 9 Dec 2007 | 'Webinar'!? First time I've actually heard the phrase; and I tend to move in those dastardly cool circles!
Really, can't they just call it 'online seminar'?
That would be double-plus good! |
"Fanboy" Finds Its Way Into Dictionary
Gamer lingo is getting acknowledged in Merriam-Webster's new edition of its Collegiate Dictionary.
With "woot" winning Merriam-Webster Online's 2007 Word of the Year contest, it's no surprise that the popular dictionary is trending toward technology talk.
Gamers will be glad to see "fanboy", a common word often used with a negative connotation in many gaming circles, get included in the next batch of 100-plus additions to the dictionary. To settle debates on "fanboy"'s definition, Merriam-Webster summarizes it as a "boy who is an enthusiastic devotee, such as of comics or movies."
Merriam-Webster editor Peter Sokolowski explained the simple process for determing if a word belongs in English.
"As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language," said Sokolowski. "If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it's ready to go in the dictionary."
Additional tech terms being included are "malware" (software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning), "netroots" (grassroots political activists who communicate via the internet, especially by blogs) and "Webinar" (live, online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments).
John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president, spoke on the simplicity of internet talk, "There's a kind of collective genius on the part of the people developing this technology, using vocabulary that is immediately accessible to all of us. It's sometimes absolutely poetic."
Source: Yahoo via Joystiq
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