w OOt By Cathy Chang Article w 00
w. OOt!!! By Cathy Chang
Article "w 00 t, " an expression of joy coined by online gamers, was crowned word of the year by the publisher of a leading U. S. dictionary. Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc. said "w 00 t" -typically spelled with two zeros -- reflects a new direction in the American language led by a generation raised on video games and cell phone text-messaging. It's like saying "yay, " the dictionary said. "It could be after a triumph or for no reason at all, " Merriam -Webster said. Merriam-Webster President John Morse said "w 00 t" reflected the growing use of numeric keyboards to type words. "People look for self-evident numeral-letter substitutions: 0 for O; 3 for E; 7 for T; and 4 for A, " he said. "This is simply a different and more efficient way of representing the alphabetical character. “ "w 00 t belongs to gamers the world over. It seems to have been derived from the obsolete 'whoot' which essentially is another way to say 'hoot' which itself is a shout or derisive laugh, " Think Geek said on its Web site.
Questions • What are some phrases in Chinese that are new? • Do you think that these kinds of phrases should be put into textbooks or used in tests? • Do you think that these phrases will long lasting or just a passing phase?
Reference • "w 00 t" crowned word of year by U. S. dictionary – http: //www. reuters. com/article/oddly. En ough. News/id. USN 1256278120071212? pa ge. Number=2&virtual. Brand. Channel=0
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