Could a new era of dictionaries be dawning? One can now find everything from Twitter term dictionaries to dictionaries defining text message terminology. And with the number of words in English soaring, we can expect to find any number of new variations in the future.
One of the latest additions to the many types of dictionaries available is a new British dictionary designed to help parents understand how their teenagers speak. The volume, entitled “Pimp Your Vocabulary,” was compiled by Lucy Tobin, who feels the guide can aid in better communication not only between parents and teenagers, but also school staffs and students.
Not everybody agrees with legitimizing this type of vocabulary by giving it its own dictionary. “Teachers and academics are already complaining that Teenglish and ‘textmessage speak’ are creeping into formal work….examiners have also criticised the growing trend,” reports
Telegraph.co.uk.
Despite having a daughter who spent a year in the USA and came back to France using plenty of slang terms, I was unfamiliar with all of the expressions listed in the article. But then again, the book deals with British teenage slang, which is likely totally different from its American counterpart. Hmmm…do I feel another dictionary on its way?
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Betty Carlson | 
