Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons. Whether you like the Fox show or hate it, you can’t deny that it’s infiltrated our culture. And thus, our language.
D’oh!
Maybe it’s because I’m the resident geek who’s collected dictionaries since she was 11 (actually, I think I’m just the only editor here who’s man enough to admit that) that I was asked to comment on The Simpsons lexicon.
Mmmmm ……. lexicon ……. wordy …
Anyway. In 2001, the highly revered 20-volume, roughly 3,000-pound Oxford English Dictionary added Homer’s customary interjection “d’oh” (also spelled “doh”). Were he real and coherent enough, Mr. Simpson should be impressed. And the Collins English Dictionary added Lisa’s “meh” in 2008. That’s M-E-H, meh—an expression of utter boredom or disinterest.
Other dictionaries have added fauxcabulary gone viral as well. How is it possible that this show has embiggened our vocabulary with such cromulent words that have actually been used in scientific journals?
This is only a TV show, right? I mean, everybody knows television doesn’t affect our attitudes or language. It’s just entertainment.
But if that’s the case, then why have so many people adopted Simpsons lingo without even knowing it? And to those who indiscriminately shriek “Woohoo!”, yes, I’m pointing a finger at you (but only because I have four pointing back at myself).
So, do you use this sort of fauxcabulary, whether it be from The Simpsons or from another show? If you do, is it from watching the show itself, or from just living in a society that has embraced it? And, again, like or hate The Simpsons, do you have any thoughts on why it’s popular enough to ensconce itself into a language that was cromulent enough without it?
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