03043cam a2200361 i 4500003000800000005001700008007000300025008004100028020002900069040001800098041000800116042000800124050002200132082001600154084003400170100002800204245006900232250001900301264004000320300002000360336002600380337002800406338002700434504006700461505045400528520135800982650002702340650005902367650003102426650003902457650005902496776012602555BJBSDDR20230410142420.0ta160803s2017 nyu b 001 0 eng  a9781101870945 (hardback) aDLCbengcDLC aspa apcc00aP 327bS783w 201700a413.028223 aREF008000aBIO0260002bisacsh1 aStamper, Kory,eauthor.10aWord by word :bthe secret life of dictionaries /cKory Stamper. aFirst Edition. 1aNew York :bPantheon Books,c[2017] a296 p. :c22 cm atextbtxt2rdacontent aunmediatedbn2rdamedia avolumebnc2rdacarrier aIncludes bibliographical references and index (pages 275-296). a Hrafnkell: on falling in love -- But: on grammar -- It's: on "grammar" -- Irregardless: on wrong words -- Corpus: on collecting the bones -- Surfboard: on defining -- Pragmatic: on examples -- Take: on small words -- Bitch: on bad words -- Posh: on etymology and linguistic originalism -- American dream: on dates -- Nuclear: on pronunciation -- Nude: on correspondence -- Marriage: on authority and the dictionary -- Epilogue: the damnedest thing. a"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"--cProvided by publisher. 0aLexicographyxHistory. 0aEncyclopedias and dictionariesxHistory and criticism. 0aLexicographersxBiography. 7aREFERENCE / Dictionaries.2bisacsh 7aBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs.2bisacsh08iOnline version:aStamper, Kory, author.tWord by worddNew York : Pantheon Books, [2017]z9781101870952w(DLC) 2016037824