From: utzoo!watmath!rvpalliende
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Title: Re: ov
Article-I.D.: watmath.2921
Posted: Sun Jul  4 11:18:51 1982
Received: Sun Jul  4 23:20:03 1982
References: uwvax.459


word (werd) n. 1. Any sound or combination of sounds (or its written
printed symbol, customarily shown with a space on either side of it
of it but none within it) forming meaningful element of speech,
conveying an idea or alternative ideas, and capable of serving as
a member of, the whole of, or a substitute for, a sentence; basic
unit of expression of data and instructions in a computer;

>From The Concise Oxford Dictionary
 
It seems that Jon Mauney thinks ov words only as what is after
the first semicolon, in the above definition.
I don't see any reference to conventional spelling.
Some people spell "thanx". Isn't that a word, by the definition?
(I don't give any magic value to dictionary definitions. I only
quoted this one to have an informed opinion)
And remeber, spelling REPRESENTS language. Only in computers
the written form IS the language.

Pablo Alliende