The Summum of Dictionaries
by
Howard Richler
What’s four
score and ten yet stronger, healthier and possesses a greater vocabulary than
ever? I speak, of course, about the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The OED is the summum of dictionaries, not
only because it is the biggest, the best, and the supreme authority.What
elevates into a league of one is its breadth. It is rapacious and devours every
word that has ever existed in English and this makes it the ideal archive of
our language. No other language can boast about having such a complete tome.
The
compilation of the First Edition of the OED began in the
1850s and was
completed in 1928. Its naïve editors estimated then that
the project would be finished in approximately ten years, but alas after fifteen years when editor James Murray and
his colleagues had only reached as far as the word ‘ant’, they realized it was
time to revise their schedule. It was not surprising that the project was
taking longer than anticipated. Not only are the complexities of the English language
daunting, but like a virus, it never stops evolving. The lexicographic team had
to keep track of new words and new meanings of existing words at the same time
that they were trying to examine the previous eight centuries of the language’s
development.
But finally, the first volume of the OED was
completed in 1928
with the final section, (called a fascicle in lexicology-speak)
comprising words from Wise to Wyzen. The original
plan in the
1850s called for approximately 6,400 pages in four volumes, but the
completion of the First Edition contained over 400,000
words and phrases in ten
volumes.
In
1989, a complete Second Edition was published, consisting
of the
original OED amalgamated with the supplementary
volumes, and
together with 5,000 completely new entries. In
1993 and 1997, three volumes of
Additions to the Second
Edition were published.
In 2000 the
OED Online was launched and the
computer-based resources available to the staff who work on the OED
has facilitated the data collection and in particular to record words from some
of the “other” Englishes such as
Japanese, Indian and Singapore English.
The original
estimate had the Third Edition being completed in 2010 and containing
approximately 40 volumes but this timetable proved to be woefully wrong. By
2014, the new estimate for completion was 2034 and chief editor Michael Proffitt
said that is was running late due to “information overload” as a plethora of
data kept pouring in from computer sources.
Newly
revised entries are published online every three months, giving the OED a
modern, relevant tone that represents the myriad flavours of English available
on the planet.
Thus does
the OED proceed judiciously, amassing,modifying, defining, and
it proceeds truly at a snail’s-pace – a phrase first employed
in the fifteenth century. But I assure you that over the last eighteen years
there has been dramatic changes and additions to our language. The OED provides
endless proof of how the “other Englishes,” the “newer Englishes” are changing and
enhancing the language. Truth be told, there are now far more people who speak
English as a second language than as their first one and therefore the
vocabulary growth comes largely from the exotic locales where second language
speakers dwell.
The increase in data is mind-boggling. In 1989,the OED
lexicographic team was able to add approximately 80 new words a month but by
2014 the amount of new words was reduced to no more than 60 due to the much
larger amount of information available, notwithstanding the advances
information technology has provided.
To give readers a sense of the new words inundating our
language, I have made a list of words with accompanied definitions from A to Z
that the OED has added since it went online in 2000. For each letter, I have
included one word from what might be thought of as “traditional English” (American,
Canadian, Australian, United Kingdom & Ireland) and one from the “new
Englishes”(Malaysian, Caribbean, South African Englishes, etc.) I have also
indicated in brackets when the word was added to our lexicon:
App(2001)-A piece of software designed to perform specific
functions. (Shortened form of application).
Angmoh( 2016)-In Singapore English, a term for light-skinned
people.
Bogart(2005)-Especially, among Afro-American usage, to force,
coerce or bully.
Barangay(2015)-In Philippines English, a village or suburb.
Cissexual(2015)-Designates a
person whose sense of personal identification and gender corresponds to
his or hers at birth.
Cosplay(2008)-Originally in Japan it referred to dressing up
in costume as character from anime and manga; now extended to characters from
video games.
Digerati(2003)-Refers to people with proficient involvement
or exceptional knowledge of information technology.
Dai pai dong( 2016)-In Hong Kong, a traditional licensed
street stall selling cooked food at low prices.
Enviropig(2015)-A genetically modified variety of pig that is
able to digest phytic acid, producing manure with a reduced phosphorus content
and hence less environmental impact.
Eve-teasing(2005)-In India,
sexual harassment of a woman, verbal or physical, by a man in a public
place.
Femcee(2012)-Female master of ceremonies.
Funana(2017)-In Cape Verde Islands, dance music accompanied with
an accordion and ferrinho.
Gaydar(2003)-Ability attributed especially to gay people to
identify homosexual people.
Ghagra(2006)-In parts of India, especially Rajasthan: a long
full skirt or petticoat with a drawstring waist and often ornamented with
bells.
Hoser(2006)-In
Canadian English, a stupid, unsophisticated loutish person.
Hongbao(2016)-A
traditional Chinese good luck gift of money.
Iron woman(2013)-A woman who is hardy, robust, or capable of
great endurance; now specifically a powerful female athlete,
especially one who excels in endurance events.
Inukshuk(2015)-A structure of rough stones stacked in the form
of a human figure,traditionally used by the Inuit as a landmark or
commemorative sign, or to drive caribou toward hunters.
Junkball(2016)-In baseball, a pitch that relies on movement
rather than speed, such as a breaking ball or knuckleball.
Juku(2004)
Krump(2016)-In hip hop: extremely energized while dancing.
Khimar(2010)-A head covering or
veil worn in public by some Muslim women, specifically one of a type covering the head,
neck, and shoulders.
Listicle(2006)-A journalistic
article or other piece of writing, presented wholly or partly in the form of a
lists. This term is often used in a pejorative manner.
Lepak(2016)-In Malaysian and
Singapore English, to loiter aimlessly or idly; to loaf, relax, hang out.
Moobs(2006)-Unusually prominent
breasts on a man.
Matutu(2001)-In Kenya, an unlicensed taxi or minibus.
Nobbins(2003)-British slang for money.
Nam Prik(2003)-A paste or
sauce made with chilli and shrimp, widely used in Thai cookery as a condiment
or dipping sauce.
Oxycontin(2005)-Proprietary
name of the analgesic drug oxycodone.
Oyakata(2005)-In Japan: a master, a boss; and in sumo wrestling, it refers to the master
of a wrestling stable.
Phat(2001)-Especially among Afro-Americans, it refers
to a woman who is sexy and attractive and in music it denotes excellence.
Prepone(2001)-In Indian English, to bring forward to
an earlier time; the opposite of postpone.
Queer nation(2007)-A community of
people united by homosexuality, lesbianism, or by a shared belief in gay
rights.
Qawwali(2002)-A style of Muslim
devotional music, now associated particularly with Sufis in Pakistan,
characterized by a fervent, often improvisatory vocal delivery, accompanied on
drums and harmonium.
Retweet(2015)-OnTwitter, an act or
instance of posting a message, image, link, etc., originally posted by another
user. (Tweet, {not the bird sense} was added in 2013.)
Roko(2010)-In India, a protest in
which road or rail traffic is disrupted by a large group of demonstrators.
Sext(2015)-A sexually explicit or
suggestive message or image sent electronically, typically using a mobile
phone.(Not to be confused this the nicer sext: One of the daily offices, or
canonical hours of prayer and worship, of the Western Church, traditionally
said (or chanted) at the sixth hour of the day (about midday).
Sabo(2016)-In Singapore English, to
harm, inconvenience, make trouble. Shortened form of sabotage.
Twerk(2015)-A sexually provocative dance involving thrusting movement of the butt and hips in a low
squatting position.
Teh tarik(2016)-In Malaysian English and Singapore English, sweet
tea with milk, prepared by pouring the liquid back and forth repeatedly between
two containers so as to produce a thick foam on top.
Unsub(2016)-In law
enforcement: a person of unknown identity who is the subject of a criminal
investigation.
Udyog(2017)- In Indian English, a company or commercial
enterprise, especially one involved in manufacturing.
Vaping(2015)-The action or practice
of inhaling and exhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or
similar device.
Videshi(2007)-In India: foreign;
coming from a country other than India.
Weblog(2003)-A file containing a
detailed record of each request received by a web server, frequently recording
data that allows a variety of different aspects of the web traffic reaching
that server to be analysed. Before long, this term was shortened to blog.
Wakizashi(2007)-A type of samurai sword.
Xeriscape(2008)-To landscape an area
in such a way as to minimize its need for irrigation, especially by using
plants and features suited to a dry climate.
Xoloitzcuintli(2012)-The Mexican hairless dog. (Often
shortened to xolo).
Yada yada(2006)-Indicating, usually dismissively,
that further details are predictable or evident from what has preceded.
Yumcha(2016)-In Chinese contexts: a
meal eaten in the morning or early afternoon, typically consisting of dim sum
and hot tea.
Zeppelining(2014)-Moving in a manner of a Zeppelin(type
of airship); to soar.
Zama zama(2015)-In South Africa, a
person who works illegally in abandoned mine-shafts in order to retrieve
metals, minerals, etc.
Happy 90th OED.
Richler’s latest book is Wordplay: Arranged and
Deranged Wit.
