Tweeting officially enters the language with entry to the Oxford English Dictionary
It has been part of online life since 2007, and has gradually evolved into the mainstream via celebrities and latterly as legal, governmental and public institutions joined the ranks, but now tweeting has officially been recognised as a linguistic reality with its inclusion in the venerable Oxford English Dictionary.
Tweeting now acceptable on Countdown
The lexicographical arbiter of the language has accepted that the act of tweeting by people, not birds, is now an established pat of the language. In its June update, the Oxford dictionary will now include tweeting as both a noun and as a verb, chief editor John Simpson announced.
He said the entry after less than ten years in usage ”breaks at least one OED rule, namely that a new word needs to be current for ten years before consideration for inclusion,” he said.
“But it seems to be catching on,” he added.
The entry reads: “To make a posting on the social networking service Twitter. Also: to use Twitter regularly or habitually.”
Also added this quarter are “wingsuit and “sega”, although the latter refers to a dance form of the Mascarene Islands typically involving rhythmic swaying and stepping motions, and not the video game platform.