[Air-l] Collaborative online dictionaries (etc.)

Alexander Kuskis alex.kuskis at netscape.ca
Sat Dec 18 02:45:16 PST 2004


>> 2. Does anyone have any references (articles, chapters, etc.) about 
>> collaborative reference projects? More specifically about the 
>> possibilities they pose for "democratization" (buzzword) of 
>> knowledge/language?
>
I just came across this item...............Alex Kuskis

http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1374741,00.html

Collins launches online dictionary to debate new words tionary

Stephen Moss
Thursday December 16, 2004
The Guardian

Collins online: "We are hoping that people will contribute words which they
use in their daily lives."

Ever since Dr Johnson compiled his highly opinionated dictionary in 1755
(excise: "a hateful tax levied upon commodities"; oat: "a grain which in
England is generally given to horses but in Scotland supports the people"),
language has been a battlefield.
Collins Dictionaries today recognises that fact with the launch of an online
Living Dictionary, in which netheads can suggest new words and argue over
whether they should be added to the print version of the dictionary. In
fact, "netheads" itself might be a useful starting point for discussion.
"This is a completely new concept which will provide direct contact between
the people who compile dictionaries and the end users," said Jeremy
Butterfield, editor in chief of Collins Dictionaries. "It allows us to open
up the process of suggesting and selecting words."
It seems that Johnson's "harmless drudges" have discovered democracy. The
concept is straightforward. You log on to www.collins.co.uk/wordexchange,
suggest a word and then wait for other logophiles to commend or berate you.
The site has been trialled for the past two weeks and there have already
been squabbles.
One user suggested "Henmania - the hype surrounding the English tennis
player Tim Henman which escalates during Wimbledon each year". "I can't
stand this word, not because of the person involved, but because it's a
non-word," responded another. "If you add mania to Henman you get
Henmanmania. Henmania is going crazy for hens."
A second respondent wrote: "Until Henman actual wins something I don't think
he should have any word associated with him, unless it is the rather
derogatory 'soft cock' that the Australians use to describe him."
There is also an illuminating discussion of "cheese-eating surrender
monkeys - a term coined by the creators of The Simpsons to describe/insult
the French; obviously xenophobic". "It will be interesting to monitor the
progress of this phrase," says one editor.
Mr Butterfield compared the Living Dictionary with the online Wikipedia
encyclopedia. "We are hoping... that people will contribute words which they
use in their daily lives, but which have not yet made it into the printed
dictionary."
Of the words submitted so far, he identified Arab street, contrasexual,
cyberathletics, Ingerland, manny and podcasting as likely candidates for
inclusion in print. "Things change very quickly now," he said. "Words can
establish themselves within a month."




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