OMG! Text shorthand makes the dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary has added some new words -- and shorthands and initialisms -- to its esteemed dictionary. And the tech world was well represented.

OMG and LOL -- which, of course, are shorthand for "oh my god" and "laughing out loud," respectively -- both made the March additions to the dictionary. And while almost everyone who texts or uses instant messaging makes use of those two abbreviations, the dictionary also added the possibly lesser-known IMHO (in my humble opinion), TMI (too much information) and BFF (best friends forever) to its catalog of "words."

"Of course ... initialisms are quicker to type than the full forms, and in the case of text messages or Twitter ... they help to say more in media where there is a limit to a number of characters one may use in a single message," the dictionary noted in an online statement. "OMG and LOL are found outside of electronic contexts, however; in print, and even in spoken use."

And tech-related words in general are becoming more mainstream.

Early last year, the American Dialect Society, an association that studies the English language, announced that tweet was the top word of 2009, and Google -- as a verb, not as a noun -- was the top word of the past decade.

:story: Full story: Computerworld