DIY Dictionary: Public Contributes To New Collins Edition
Via Huffington Post:
Where do words come from? If you answered "the dictionary," you'll be pleased to know that Collins Dictionary is allowing the public to submit words to include in their next edition. Is this an incredibly stupid idea? I'm tempted to say yes. So far, users have created entries for over 100 words, including cray, tash-on, yolo, Tebowing, omnishambles, creeping, trendfear, gazanging, lollage, and amazeballs. Not all these gems will be included in the next edition though, as each word has to go through a democratic approval process before it's accepted.
“For Collins Online Dictionary, it was essential that we keep our ear close to the ground listening out for new words emerging from pop culture, science, and technology,” said Alex Brown, Head of Digital, in a press release.
Do some of these entries describe mind-numbingly asinine pop-culture references? Yes. But are they relevant additions to the English language? Maybe. In my humble opinion, the only time words should be invented is if they create some clarity in describing a situation. In five years, the odds seem low that anyone will take a knee and put their fist to their forehead while onlookers mumble, "What do people call that? I wish there was a word describing that gesture."
Then again, maybe Shakespeare caught flack for inventing thousands of new words, and sarcastic assholes like me derided him for bloating an already-overstuffed language with nonsense—but look how that turned out.
News by Dave Reuss
Dave Reuss manages Outside Bozeman Magazine. He showcases his work and prostitutes himself to freelance clients at reusswriting.com.
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I don't think these should be in a dictionary. We already have slang dictionaries, and that's what this stuff is. Put them there, leave the real dictionary alone. If you don't know what those things are already, finding them in a dictionary not specifically noted to be for slang or euphemisms or whatever else is only going to confuse you. If any of those words happen to eventually become so common and so integrated (which however common they are now, they're nowhere near that prolific yet), then fine.
Either way, I generally feel that making anything open to the public like this is asking for it.