Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries
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"Brimming with intelligence and personality, a vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made - a must read for word mavens. Have you ever tried to define the word "is?" Do you have strong feelings about the word (and, yes, it is a word) "irregardless?" Did you know that OMG was first used in 1917, in a letter to Winston Churchill? These are the questions that keep lexicographers up at night. While most of us might take dictionaries for granted, the process of writing dictionaries is in fact as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what and how to define, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why the small words are the most difficult to define, how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. Throughout Stamper brings to life the hallowed halls (and highly idiosyncratic cubicles) of Merriam-Webster, a surprisingly rich world inhabited by quirky and erudite individuals who quietly shape the way we communicate. A sure delight for all lovers of words, Harmless Drudges will also improve readers' grasp and use of the English language"--
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Oh, this was lovely. I kind of always want to know exactly what it is that other people do all day, so finding out in detail not just how modern dictionaries work, but also the politics and intricacies of being a lexicographer (and how Kory Stamper feels when she checks her e-mails) was deeply satisfying. Stamper does a great job of making every detail of the dictionary-writing process accessible. Each chapter focuses on a principle highlighted by a specific word and start very basic (like how hard it is to categorize parts of speech) and venture into the quite abstract (the way that implicit biases affect definitions and how the definitions used can be perceived by readers.)
The strongest thread throughout the book is basically an ode to descriptivist linguistics as well as a dismissal of the prescriptivist (and, to be frank, neurotic) approach that Stamper perceives in amateur logophiles.
Overall, the book is personal, funny and educational - a rare combination. If I had one complaint, it would be that the self-deprecation wears very thin, but that's easy to overlook with so much more to like.
Smug, I'm-smarter-than-you-although-I'm-pretending-not-to-be. Completely unnecessary use of profanity, although the author would say these are perfectly good words. See the first sentence.
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries is by lexicographer Kory Stamper. (If you saw the awesome Netflix series “History of Swear Words” then you saw her speak.) Stamper worked for almost 20 years at Merriam Webster, and in this book she explains how they define words, how they choose which words to include in the first place, how it can take literally NINE MONTHS just to fully distill the essence of one word down into what we get in the dictionary.
A book about dictionaries sounds really boring, doesn't it? I promise you it isn't! Anyone reading this review probably loves books, and probably loves words. But trust me, I had NO IDEA how much went into just defining words. In hindsight it makes sense but holy cow... and Stamper doesn't just provide these explanations, she does it with humor that will make you laugh and groan as she tells you about the time a cleaning crew accidentally undid weeks of work in one night.
She also delves into the misconception that the people at Merriam Webster are the ones who decide what is a word, as though they are the arbiters of language rather than the scribes. You wouldn't think the dictionary would provide drama, but then you read about the hate mail they received when the word marriage was updated to include same-sex marriages.
This book is really funny, informative, and one of my favorite non-fiction books. Five stars from me, and I strongly recommend it for anyone who loves words!
