Philosophy
I had a student look up a word in the dictionary the other day and complain that the dictionary was wrong. Is this possible? Aside from a typographical error or an omission, can a dictionary entry be incorrect? Is the dictionary scientific documentation of how words are used by the linguistic community or is it a prescriptive rulebook that dictates how we ought to use words? If I look up a word and the dictionary says it means one thing and I think it means another, who wins? If I lose that battle, how many people do I have to gather on my side before we can start a revolution and overthrow our lexicographic overlords?
- Spanish, Ebonics, And Bushisms: English As Whose National Language?
So we've got another case of conservatives trying to crack down on that creeping menace...the Spanish language. Public libraries in suburban Atlanta will no longer acquire adult fiction in Spanish because immigrants reading John Grisham is a threat...
- Is Posp's Wordsmith Tim Aware Of These Words?
Since June 27th, 2010, POSP stringer Tim has provide an enormous quantity of words to add to one's vocabulary. I wonder if he has heard of the following? "Mark Forsyth's top 10 lost words" From snollygoster to wamblecropt, these forgotten words...
- Fun Book..."word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends"
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton ISBN-10: 0195375572 ISBN-13: 978-0195375572 Did you ever think that Ring Around The Rosie makes reference to the Black Death of the Middle Ages? Or that the whole nine yards refers to the...
- Thousand Years Of Life In Egypt In Dictionary Form
"Dictionary Translates Ancient Egypt Life" by John Noble Wilford September 17th, 2012 The New York Times Ancient Egyptians did not speak to posterity only through hieroglyphs. Those elaborate pictographs were the elite script for recording the...
- The Oed In Print No More?
"The Oxford English Dictionary Definitions of ‘Print’ And ‘Digital’" by Tim Carmody August 30th, 2010 Wired The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary is the bibliophile’s equivalent to the movie geek’s high-end home theater setup. It’s...
Philosophy
Can the Dictionary Be Wrong?
I had a student look up a word in the dictionary the other day and complain that the dictionary was wrong. Is this possible? Aside from a typographical error or an omission, can a dictionary entry be incorrect? Is the dictionary scientific documentation of how words are used by the linguistic community or is it a prescriptive rulebook that dictates how we ought to use words? If I look up a word and the dictionary says it means one thing and I think it means another, who wins? If I lose that battle, how many people do I have to gather on my side before we can start a revolution and overthrow our lexicographic overlords?
- Spanish, Ebonics, And Bushisms: English As Whose National Language?
So we've got another case of conservatives trying to crack down on that creeping menace...the Spanish language. Public libraries in suburban Atlanta will no longer acquire adult fiction in Spanish because immigrants reading John Grisham is a threat...
- Is Posp's Wordsmith Tim Aware Of These Words?
Since June 27th, 2010, POSP stringer Tim has provide an enormous quantity of words to add to one's vocabulary. I wonder if he has heard of the following? "Mark Forsyth's top 10 lost words" From snollygoster to wamblecropt, these forgotten words...
- Fun Book..."word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends"
Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton ISBN-10: 0195375572 ISBN-13: 978-0195375572 Did you ever think that Ring Around The Rosie makes reference to the Black Death of the Middle Ages? Or that the whole nine yards refers to the...
- Thousand Years Of Life In Egypt In Dictionary Form
"Dictionary Translates Ancient Egypt Life" by John Noble Wilford September 17th, 2012 The New York Times Ancient Egyptians did not speak to posterity only through hieroglyphs. Those elaborate pictographs were the elite script for recording the...
- The Oed In Print No More?
"The Oxford English Dictionary Definitions of ‘Print’ And ‘Digital’" by Tim Carmody August 30th, 2010 Wired The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary is the bibliophile’s equivalent to the movie geek’s high-end home theater setup. It’s...