Editor's Corner

Every now and then, my husband finds it greatly amusing to send me an email or share information with me that he knows I’m going to hate. You can thank him for today’s Editor’s Corner.

The Oxford English Dictionary announced its “word” of the year recently. Here it is. Tell me what you think:

Yes. That is it. That picture, graphic, pictograph, emoji is the 2015 Word of the Year. The name of the emoji is “Face with Tears of Joy.” And now, I scream:

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

How could you say that a picture is the word of the year? And not just one word, but five words: “face with tears of joy.” Five words that make me want to vomit a sea biscuit because of this whole situation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary itself, the definition of “word” is:

A single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed.

Have you ever tried to say or write an emoji? It’s pretty tough without a smartphone or some kind of electronic device. Of course, you can make your own decision on this. I’m providing you with two things:

· The announcement and explanation from the Oxford Dictionaries website

· A response to this atrocity from Daily Writing Tips

Oxford—why hast thou forsaken me?

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services