Save the Zoozoo!! - Wordsmith.org

Er, perhaps someone should provide those guys with a copy of the OED.

Synchronicity, my good man! (I was just gonna post that...)

a copy of the OED.

But the Chambers is a one-volume dictionary, weighing decidedly less than a hundred pounds.

Synchronicity, my good man! (I was just gonna post that...)

Of all the people with whom to be in synch! I am a most fortunate man.

For me, this thread has a delightfully jabberwocky sort of feel as I've been involved in discussions elsewhere about the apparent inability of many Punjabis to pronounce "z", even in English words . A 6-yr old friend told me just recently about his visit to the "joo", so I naturally thought of the joojoo bird when I saw this thread title. Then reading the article, I see it's espousing a cause Dr. Dodgson would have heartily endorsed, and the link seems particularly apt.

But, dear Fr Steve, their goal as stated is to prevent obscure words from becoming extinct. No word that is in the OED will become truly extinct so long as there remains in existence one copy of that massive set of books, just as no ovscure word in Chambers will become a part of anyone's daily vocabulary.

In terms of preserving the words, they need only be writ large once, don't you think?

Certainly, if the Chambers people decide to do so, they can produce on volume with nothing but endangered words in it, but of what use is it? The OED is the gold standard -- Chambers is aluminum.

Quote:

Certainly, if the Chambers people decide to do so, they can produce on volume with nothing but endangered words in it, but of what use is it? The OED is the gold standard -- Chambers is aluminum.

The answer to question "of what use is it?" is obvious - a lot more people can afford aluminium.

Certainly, if the Chambers people decide to do so, they can produce on volume with nothing but endangered words in it, but of what use is it? The OED is the gold standard -- Chambers is aluminum.

What does that make tsuwm's WWFTD... Platinum? Mercury? Brass?

Quote:

What does that make tsuwm's WWFTD... Platinum? Mercury? Brass?

take it from one who knows, it's only Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass.

(although, I must say, there's words in there that ain't in OED)

The article mentions logodaedalus (someone skilled in the manipulative use of words).

That would be pertickly suitable for such a worm who had eaten the books of James Joyce, would it not?

and vice versa, Dale. That's surely the nature of dictionaries, straddling the divide between long-term key record and short-term lively responsiveness...?

Anyway, just because we invented the language...

I distrust OED because of its bias toward rightpond usage. Occasionally one runs across a term which has only recently been incorporated as an entry but which has been in use in the leftpond for decades

Here in the Colonies, we hear a lot about regional usages within the USofA. We learn about the differences between UK English and US English. And, thanks to Paul Hogan and others, we have become accustomed to the occasional bit of Aussie English.

I wonder very much what is happening to the English language in other places where she is spoke which are not UK, US, Canada, NZ nor Oz. There are lots of such places and there simply must be dialectical differences which would be fascinating to know. How is she spoke in Hong Kong, f'rinstance? Or Gibralter? Or Bermuda? Or Malta?

I can imagine an engaging newspaper or magazine column being written about the variety of English usage globally. I just can't imagine anybody sufficiently informed to write it.

David Crystal'd be a fair bet.

Quote:

I wonder very much what is happening to the English language in other places where she is spoke which are not UK, US, Canada, NZ nor Oz.

Well, India has almost many people raised and educated in English as those countries put together. That's one flavour that is often overlooked.