Words which are popular and current, such as ‘selfie’, ‘hashtag’ and ‘tweet’ have made it into the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) dictionary.

DBP director-general Awang Sariyan said it was part of the role of dictionaries to record words which are widely used by society.

However, the words would have the letters ‘bp’ to denote that they were part of spoken language which had yet to be accepted as standard language.

Speaking to Bernama in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Awang said it was part of lexicography to include words that are widely used, as well as a formal or informal explanation.

Awang said words like ‘selfie’ referred to the act of a person taking their own photograph and uploading it into social media was a trend, including among leaders.

The Merriam-Webster has also included ‘selfie’, ‘hashtag’ and ‘tweet’, with its editor Peter Sokolowski saying it was an effect of technology on life.

- Bernama