Word by word : the secret life of dictionaries
(Book)

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Published
New York : Pantheon Books, [2017].
Edition
First Edition.
Physical Desc
xiii, 296 pages ; 22 cm
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Published
New York : Pantheon Books, [2017].
Format
Book
Edition
First Edition.
Language
English
UPC
40026973687

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-280) and index.
Description
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. 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.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Stamper, K. (2017). Word by word: the secret life of dictionaries (First Edition.). Pantheon Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Stamper, Kory. 2017. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. Pantheon Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Stamper, Kory. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries Pantheon Books, 2017.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Stamper, Kory. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries First Edition., Pantheon Books, 2017.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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