Executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionaries, Steve Kleinedler, talks about the new fifth edition and how dictionaries are changing in the digital era.
Executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionaries, Steve Kleinedler, talks about the new fifth edition and how dictionaries are changing in the digital era.
Comments [12]
There are 2 words that I cannot stand:
incentivize (as a verb)
grow (as an active verb as in:
" grow your company ")
I hope they're not in this dictionary.
Alot of dumb-sounding words originate in business meetings, I hope neither of these, which i've heard from marketing people lately, ever come into common use...ideation, ideate (to have ideas) or concepting (conceptualizing)
The second one makes some sense as marketing people generally find long words like conceptualizing impossible.
I am opposed to slang being added to the dictionary, it is like revealing a secret language to the masses!
Oh Brian, will you please stop making people think! Goodness gracious.
I believe language should evolve to be of service. But I also think we should differentiate between slang and actual words. If for no other reason, than kindness towards ESL learners.
www.HereSheIsBoys.com
"Impact" has always been a perfectly good verb...when used about wisdom teeth.
But to people who object to its more general use as a verb: the same objection used to be made to "contact" as a verb.
America is a tltr-ocracy, which is why we can't get it together.
Impact may long have been a verb, but it was a transitive one (this had an impact on that); the change is that it 's now being used as an intransitive one (impacted) which was not previously correct.
Oops, I'm not from NYU I'm from NYC (previous post)
Bruschetta pronounced properly broo-skEHt-tah (oo as in food). NOT broo-shehta
I still don't accept loan as a verb. I HATE it in fact and shiver when I hear it used. loan is a noun and lend is a verb.
Is there a word for when you feel embarrassed for someone? I say empatheraSsment. Empathetic embarrassment.
Or rather, how the digital era is changing dictionaries, much to the chagrin of some.
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