How a dictionary writer defines English

Dictionaries don't just appear. People have to write them. At Merriam-Webster, one of those people is Kory Stamper.

The history of dictionaries involves a lot more than just looking at words. Lexicographers have to pore through hundreds of years of documents to understand where English has been and is going. Defining English, both for vocabulary and grammar, is a daunting task that Stamper tackles every day.

It opens into a wider grammatical debate as well, between prescriptivism and descriptivism, which pits two philosophies against each other.

[TechByMattB]

I don't care what the subject or topic, hearing someone who is well versed and passionate about what they do is always interesting to me.

[DaxKrishnaS]

you know she knows her words when she says, "sepulchrally quiet."

[rjs]

This was surprisingly more interesting than I thought it would be.

[yosephalabdulwahab]

The fact about the dots in a word literally blew my mind. You've changed my life forever!

[adamp_]

It's so cool to see linguistics getting some love. I think that prescriptivism and descriptivism should be taught in schools, because prescriptivism is very common here in America, and actually causes a lot of damage, like people being ashamed of their southern accent, or AAVE (AKA ebonics) being labeled "thug english."

[ZhangtheGreat]

For the language "purists" out there who want English to remain "pure, " let me show you what "pure" English looks like:
"Se wisa wer timbrode his hus ofer stan. Þa com þær micel flod, and þær bleowon windas, and ahruron on þæt hus, and hit ne feoll: soþlice, hit wæs ofer stan getimbrod."
There you go. That's "pure" English (better known as Old English), before it was "corrupted" by French, Greek, and other languages.
But of course, that's not what you mean, right? You just want English to remain "pure" by what _you_ consider to be "pure." You don't want English "tainted" by all these youngsters coming up with their new words, misusing and redefining existing words, etc. In that case, if you want the language to remain unchanged, I have a solution for you: STOP SPEAKING IT! Yes, the only way a language will never change again is if it's no longer used (see: Latin). Otherwise, learn how language actually works and quit whining.

[haquoctienalejandro]

I´m a language nerd and this is so cool, English is actually my second language but there are obviously more interesting linguistic data on English than many other languages, linguistic studies on my mother tongue are almost non-existent, I wish linguistics gets more attention as a field of science, it is as important as history and literature if you ask me.

[perpetualpolymath]

"I know words, I have the best words.."
-45th president of the United States of America.

[TheRonster]

I was literally decimated by this video yet I enjoyed it iregardless.

[AnotherLotte]

I like business jargon as a joke, like, who doesn't want to promote synergy, to see the clear goal using a buzzword and diversify the company's empowerment with organic growth; to push the envelope and find a good exit strategy.

[BariumCobaltNitrogn]

Like it or not, if someone says it, it's a word. It may be nonstandard, improper, incorrect or just odd (ugh is a word) but it is still a word. A real word. Babawa Wawa would agwee.

[brianwarner]

I love this woman! Very intelligent and charismatic.

[CoinOpTV]

would listen to a podcast if she hosted one - pretty interesting stuff!

[faizrizkih]

So much work for defining one word. And yet people still cant differentiate between "Your" and "You're".

[haydenwalker]

Anti
dis
establishment
arianism
A philosophy against disestablishment (the act of removing something that has been established/set in place, usually reffering to human rights and freedom)

Antidisestablishmentarianism: the belief that people's rights and freedoms should not be taken away

Did I do it right?

[mikeRoweSoftLee]

i always assumed people who wrote dictionaries were dull boring old men with elbow patches on their blazers, Kory here is the exact opposite

[blahismyname]

I want to know what she thinks about urban dictionary lol

[alexandercolwill]

Favourite word currently. Subfusc. Google it if you don't already know its definition.

[chasesmith]

I adore her word usage. It's quite pleasant to the ears to hear such verbal precision.

[KnowArt]

You made ME the happiest person in the word with the dot thing! I never knew there was a way you should do that, other than just how much fits...