With dictionaries beginning to add items such as LOL to their listings 
of words,
it might be a good time to pose the question What is a word?

Granted that aconyms have been coming into the language for a very 
long time:
loran, radar, sonar, snafu, jeep, kayo, veep, emcee, and others.  In 
most of such
instances, the new "word" is a blending of the individual letters and 
is pronounced
as a single lexical unit.  Do LOL and such texting shortcuts qualify?  
When one
sees LOL, isn't the mental response a return to "laugh out loud"?  
Words such
as jeep don't (at least any longer) evoke "general purpose."

I look forward to your feedback.

tj

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