In her new cookbook, The Family Dinner, Laurie David talks about the importance of families making a ritual of sitting down to dinner together, and how family dinners offer a great opportunity for meaningful discussions about the day's news. "Dinner," she says, "is as much about digestible conversation as it is about delicious food."
We couldn't agree more. So HuffPost has joined with Laurie to launch a new feature we're calling HuffPost Family Dinner Downloads. Every Friday afternoon, just in time for dinner, our editors highlight one of the most compelling news stories of the week -- stories that will spark a lively discussion among the whole family.
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This week, the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announced the inclusion of 1,900 new words to the pages of its 150 year-old publication. Among them are many modern-day expressions, or "initialisms" as the OED calls them -- terms that have exploded in popular use due to their efficiency in expressing certain sentiments over email, online chats, text messaging, twitter, and anywhere else where speed and character limits may come into play. Some of the words tapped by the dictionary include "LOL", "OMG," "IMHO," "TMI," "BFF," "FYI" and the heart symbol (♥).
The dictionary points out that although these words are associated with "a younger generation," their research uncovered some surprising earlier uses of the terms. For example, "OMG" first appeared in 1917 in a personal letter, "LOL" appeared as early as the 1960s referring not to "laughing out loud" but to "little old lady," and "FYI" actually originated in memoranda in 1941.
Do you think words like these belong in the dictionary? Do you think dictionaries define what words we use or do we define what's in the dictionary? What are some other expressions you have begun using that you think should be considered for next year? Do you think the language your kids will use will bear any resemblance to that of your parents? What are some words and expressions that your parents grew up with that aren't heard very much anymore?
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To see last week's Family Dinner Download, click here.
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For more tips and recipes, check out The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt (thefamilydinnerbook.com).