Anne Curzan: What makes a word "real"?

Summary

In this engaging talk, an English professor explores the dynamics of language evolution, particularly focusing on new words and slang. She humorously recounts social interactions that spark discussions about language and questions the criteria for word legitimacy. The speaker delves into the role of dictionaries, revealing the human element behind them and the challenges editors face in capturing language's fluidity. She encourages embracing language change, emphasizing that words gain reality through usage and communal understanding, not just dictionary inclusion.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker is an English professor who specializes in language and has observed two common reactions from people when they learn about her profession.
• 😅 People at parties often fear making language mistakes around the speaker, while others are excited to discuss issues in the English language with her.
• 🤔 The speaker questions what makes a word 'real' and who has the authority to decide this, using the example of the word 'defriend'.
• 📚 Most people consider a word real if it appears in a standard dictionary, raising questions about who writes dictionaries and their role in language.
• 👩‍🏫 The speaker collects new words like a dictionary editor but is a historian of the English language, and she requires students to teach her slang words as part of her teaching method.
• 📈 The speaker discusses the human element behind dictionaries and the fact that they are not timeless or un-authored, contrary to common perception.
• 🔍 Dictionary editors watch language use to determine which words will become part of the lexicon, balancing between being cutting edge and avoiding faddish inclusions.
• 📊 The American Dialect Society's annual meeting, where linguists vote on the word of the year, exemplifies the community's engagement with new language trends.
• 🏆 The 'word of the year' selections and the 'most creative word of the year' show the playful and creative aspects of language evolution.
• 🚫 Lake Superior State University's list of banished words reflects a tradition of resistance to new words, which the speaker suggests is often misguided.
• 📝 Usage notes in dictionaries, such as the one for 'peruse', show the evolving meanings of words and the subjective decisions made by editors and usage panels.
• 🌐 The speaker encourages embracing language change as a natural and enriching part of the English language's vitality, rather than something to fear or resist.

Q & A

What are the two common reactions people have when they find out the speaker is an English professor?

One reaction is that people become frightened and careful with their language, fearing the professor will notice their mistakes. The other reaction is excitement, where people want to discuss issues they perceive with the English language.

What does the speaker question about the word 'defriend' and its legitimacy?

The speaker questions what makes a word 'real' and who has the authority to decide on the official status of words like 'defriend', which is used commonly despite not being in standard dictionaries.

What is the speaker's role in relation to dictionaries?

The speaker is not a dictionary writer but a historian of the English language who collects new words, similar to dictionary editors, and teaches the history of the English language.

How does the speaker gather new slang words?

The speaker gathers new slang words by requiring students to teach them two new slang words before the start of each class.

Why do dictionary editors include words like 'LOL' and 'YOLO' in dictionaries?

Dictionary editors include such words to keep up with language changes and to capture words that are becoming part of common usage, aiming to appear cutting edge without being overly faddish.

What is the American Dialect Society annual meeting and what do they vote on?

The American Dialect Society annual meeting is an event where linguists and others involved in language gather to vote on the word of the year, among other categories, reflecting the most prominent words of that year.

How does the speaker view the process of language change and new word inclusion in dictionaries?

The speaker views language change as a natural and creative process, and believes that words become real when a community of speakers uses and understands them, regardless of whether they are in a dictionary.

What is the role of the Usage Panel in dictionaries like American Heritage?

The Usage Panel in dictionaries like American Heritage provides opinions on the acceptability of new uses, pronunciations, and meanings of words, helping to guide dictionary editors in their decisions.

Why does the speaker argue that we should not be quick to dismiss language changes?

The speaker argues that we should not dismiss language changes because they are a natural part of a living language's evolution, and what may seem odd or unnecessary today might become standard usage in the future.

How does the speaker suggest we should view the English language and its changes?

The speaker suggests we should view the English language and its changes as rich, vibrant, and filled with creativity, and that we should enjoy the process of language evolution rather than finding it worrisome.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Social Perceptions of Language Experts

The speaker, an English professor, discusses the public's reactions to their profession, highlighting two contrasting responses: fear of being judged for language mistakes and excitement about discussing language issues. The speaker then delves into the topic of word legitimacy, questioning what makes a word 'real' and who has the authority to decide. They clarify their role as a historian of the English language, emphasizing their research into new words and slang, and the importance of recognizing the human element behind dictionaries.

05:02

📚 The Human Side of Dictionaries

This paragraph explores the misconception that dictionaries are authoritative and unchanging resources. The speaker points out that dictionary editors are actively engaged in tracking language evolution, trying to predict which words will become established. They discuss the annual American Dialect Society meeting, where linguists vote for the word of the year, and the varying fates of these words. The speaker also touches on the historical tradition of resistance to new words and pronunciations, illustrating that language change has always been a subject of debate.

10:03

🤔 The Complexity of Language Acceptance

The speaker addresses the controversy surrounding the inclusion of new words in dictionaries, such as 'LOL' and 'defriend', and the public's concern about the legitimacy of such words. They explain that dictionary editors use usage labels and notes to guide users on word acceptability, which involves subjective decisions. An example is given regarding the word 'peruse', which traditionally means to read thoroughly but is often used to mean skim or glance over. The speaker introduces the Usage Panel and its role in evaluating word usage, emphasizing that their authority is limited to reflecting current language use rather than dictating it.

15:03

🌟 Embracing Language Evolution

In the final paragraph, the speaker encourages a positive view of language change, arguing that the English language is rich and vibrant due to its evolution. They suggest that historical concerns about language changes, such as 'nice' meaning silly or 'decimate' meaning to kill one in every ten, seem quaint today, and that our current worries will likely be viewed the same way in the future. The speaker concludes by asserting that dictionaries are guides rather than ultimate authorities, and that the realness of a word is determined by its use within a community of speakers.

Keywords

💡English professor

An English professor is an academic who specializes in the study and teaching of the English language, including its structure, literature, and history. In the video, the speaker is an English professor who specializes in language, which sets the stage for the discussion on the evolution and acceptance of new words in the English language.

💡Language degradation

Language degradation refers to the perceived decline in the quality or standards of a language, often due to the introduction of new words or changes in usage. The script mentions a dinner companion's concern about the Internet degrading the English language, highlighting the theme of resistance to language change.

💡New word

A new word, such as 'defriend,' represents linguistic innovation and can be a source of controversy. The video discusses the criteria for a new word to be considered 'real' and raises questions about the authority that determines word legitimacy.

💡Dictionary

A dictionary is a reference work that provides the meanings of words and their usage. The script explores the role of dictionaries in language standardization and the human element behind their creation, challenging the notion that dictionaries are objective or timeless.

💡Slang

Slang refers to informal words or phrases that are often specific to a group or subculture. The video mentions 'hangry' and 'adorkable' as examples of slang words that the speaker has learned, illustrating how slang can eventually become part of the standard language.

💡American Dialect Society

The American Dialect Society is an organization dedicated to the study of the English language in North America. The script describes its annual meeting, where linguists and dictionary editors gather to discuss and vote on the word of the year, reflecting the dynamic nature of language.

💡Word of the year

The 'word of the year' is a term selected by a group or organization that reflects the cultural significance or widespread usage of that word during the year. The script mentions past winners like 'tweet' and 'hashtag,' showing how new words can gain recognition and acceptance.

💡Usage note

A usage note in a dictionary provides guidance on how words are used in context, often addressing controversial or changing meanings. The video uses the word 'peruse' as an example to discuss how usage notes reflect evolving language norms and the subjective decisions of dictionary editors.

💡Usage Panel

The Usage Panel is a group of experts consulted by some dictionaries to provide opinions on the acceptability of word usage. The script explains that the panel's changing views on the word 'peruse' illustrate the gradual acceptance of new meanings in language.

💡Language change

Language change refers to the evolution of a language over time, including the introduction of new words, changes in pronunciation, and shifts in meaning. The video encourages viewers to embrace language change as a natural and creative process, rather than something to fear or resist.

💡Community of speakers

A community of speakers is a group of people who use and understand a language in a shared way. The script emphasizes that the reality of a word is determined by its use within a community, rather than by any external authority, highlighting the democratic nature of language.

Highlights

People at parties react to the speaker's profession as an English professor with either fear or enthusiasm.

The speaker explores the concept of what makes a word 'real', using 'defriend' as an example.

The role of the speaker as a historian of the English language involves collecting new words.

Students are required to teach the speaker two new slang words as part of the English language history class.

The speaker discusses the reality of slang words like 'hangry' and 'adorkable' and their inclusion in dictionaries.

The majority of people refer to dictionaries, but few know who edits them.

Dictionaries are human-made and not timeless, reflecting the language as it changes.

Dictionary editors watch language use to determine which words will become permanent.

The American Dialect Society annual meeting involves voting for the word of the year.

The word 'YOLO' is an example of a word that dictionary editors are currently observing.

The speaker's personal experience with dictionary editors and the American Dialect Society.

The concept of 'most creative word of the year' and examples like 'recombobulation area' and 'multi-slacking'.

Not all voted words become permanent, but some like 'app' and 'google' as a verb have.

Lake Superior State University's list of banished words reflects a similar process to word of the year voting.

Historical complaints about language change, such as Dean Henry Alford's concern over 'desirability'.

Modern concerns about words like 'LOL', 'defriend', 'invite' as a noun, and 'impact' as a verb.

The role of usage notes and panels in guiding the acceptability of word usage in dictionaries.

The speaker's personal role on the Usage Panel and the process of evaluating word usage.

The importance of recognizing language change as a natural and enriching process rather than a problem.

Dictionaries as a guide rather than an ultimate authority on word meanings.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that if a community uses and understands a word, it is 'real'.

Transcripts

I need to start by telling you a little bit

about my social life,

which I know may not seem relevant,

but it is.

When people meet me at parties

and they find out that I'm an English professor

who specializes in language,

they generally have one of two reactions.

One set of people look frightened. (Laughter)

They often say something like,

"Oh, I'd better be careful what I say.

I'm sure you'll hear every mistake I make."

And then they stop talking. (Laughter)

And they wait for me to go away

and talk to someone else.

The other set of people,

their eyes light up,

and they say,

"You are just the person I want to talk to."

And then they tell me about whatever it is

they think is going wrong with the English language.

(Laughter)

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a dinner party

and the man to my right

started telling me about all the ways

that the Internet is degrading the English language.

He brought up Facebook, and he said,

"To defriend? I mean, is that even a real word?"

I want to pause on that question:

What makes a word real?

My dinner companion and I both know

what the verb "defriend" means,

so when does a new word like "defriend"

become real?

Who has the authority to make those kinds

of official decisions about words, anyway?

Those are the questions I want to talk about today.

I think most people, when they say a word isn't real,

what they mean is, it doesn't appear

in a standard dictionary.

That, of course, raises a host of other questions,

including, who writes dictionaries?

Before I go any further,

let me clarify my role in all of this.

I do not write dictionaries.

I do, however, collect new words

much the way dictionary editors do,

and the great thing about being a historian

of the English language

is that I get to call this "research."

When I teach the history of the English language,

I require that students teach me

two new slang words before I will begin class.

Over the years, I have learned

some great new slang this way,

including "hangry," which --

(Applause) —

which is when you are cranky or angry

because you are hungry,

and "adorkable,"

which is when you are adorable

in kind of a dorky way,

clearly, terrific words that fill

important gaps in the English language.

(Laughter)

But how real are they

if we use them primarily as slang

and they don't yet appear in a dictionary?

With that, let's turn to dictionaries.

I'm going to do this as a show of hands:

How many of you still regularly

refer to a dictionary, either print or online?

Okay, so that looks like most of you.

Now, a second question. Again, a show of hands:

How many of you have ever looked to see

who edited the dictionary you are using?

Okay, many fewer.

At some level, we know that there are human hands

behind dictionaries,

but we're really not sure who those hands belong to.

I'm actually fascinated by this.

Even the most critical people out there

tend not to be very critical about dictionaries,

not distinguishing among them

and not asking a whole lot of questions

about who edited them.

Just think about the phrase

"Look it up in the dictionary,"

which suggests that all dictionaries

are exactly the same.

Consider the library here on campus,

where you go into the reading room,

and there is a large, unabridged dictionary

up on a pedestal in this place of honor and respect

lying open so we can go stand before it

to get answers.

Now, don't get me wrong,

dictionaries are fantastic resources,

but they are human

and they are not timeless.

I'm struck as a teacher

that we tell students to critically question

every text they read, every website they visit,

except dictionaries,

which we tend to treat as un-authored,

as if they came from nowhere to give us answers

about what words really mean.

Here's the thing: If you ask dictionary editors,

what they'll tell you

is they're just trying to keep up with us

as we change the language.

They're watching what we say and what we write

and trying to figure out what's going to stick

and what's not going to stick.

They have to gamble,

because they want to appear cutting edge

and catch the words that are going to make it,

such as LOL,

but they don't want to appear faddish

and include the words that aren't going to make it,

and I think a word that they're watching right now

is YOLO, you only live once.

Now I get to hang out with dictionary editors,

and you might be surprised

by one of the places where we hang out.

Every January, we go

to the American Dialect Society annual meeting,

where among other things,

we vote on the word of the year.

There are about 200 or 300 people who come,

some of the best known linguists in the United States.

To give you a sense of the flavor of the meeting,

it occurs right before happy hour.

Anyone who comes can vote.

The most important rule is

that you can vote with only one hand.

In the past, some of the winners have been

"tweet" in 2009

and "hashtag" in 2012.

"Chad" was the word of the year in the year 2000,

because who knew what a chad was before 2000,

and "WMD" in 2002.

Now, we have other categories in which we vote too,

and my favorite category

is most creative word of the year.

Past winners in this category have included

"recombobulation area,"

which is at the Milwaukee Airport after security,

where you can recombobulate.

(Laughter)

You can put your belt back on,

put your computer back in your bag.

And then my all-time favorite word at this vote,

which is "multi-slacking."

(Laughter)

And multi-slacking is the act

of having multiple windows up on your screen

so it looks like you're working

when you're actually goofing around on the web.

(Laughter) (Applause)

Will all of these words stick? Absolutely not.

And we have made some questionable choices,

for example in 2006

when the word of the year was "Plutoed,"

to mean demoted.

(Laughter)

But some of the past winners

now seem completely unremarkable,

such as "app"

and "e" as a prefix,

and "google" as a verb.

Now, a few weeks before our vote,

Lake Superior State University

issues its list of banished words for the year.

What is striking about this

is that there's actually often quite a lot of overlap

between their list and the list that we are considering

for words of the year,

and this is because we're noticing the same thing.

We're noticing words that are coming into prominence.

It's really a question of attitude.

Are you bothered by language fads and language change,

or do you find it fun, interesting,

something worthy of study

as part of a living language?

The list by Lake Superior State University

continues a fairly long tradition in English

of complaints about new words.

So here is Dean Henry Alford in 1875,

who was very concerned that "desirability"

is really a terrible word.

In 1760, Benjamin Franklin

wrote a letter to David Hume

giving up the word "colonize" as bad.

Over the years, we've also seen worries

about new pronunciations.

Here is Samuel Rogers in 1855

who is concerned about some fashionable pronunciations

that he finds offensive,

and he says "as if contemplate were not bad enough,

balcony makes me sick."

(Laughter)

The word is borrowed in from Italian

and it was pronounced bal-COE-nee.

These complaints now strike us as quaint,

if not downright adorkable -- (Laughter) --

but here's the thing:

we still get quite worked up about language change.

I have an entire file in my office

of newspaper articles

which express concern about illegitimate words

that should not have been included in the dictionary,

including "LOL"

when it got into the Oxford English Dictionary

and "defriend"

when it got into the Oxford American Dictionary.

I also have articles expressing concern

about "invite" as a noun,

"impact" as a verb,

because only teeth can be impacted,

and "incentivize" is described

as "boorish, bureaucratic misspeak."

Now, it's not that dictionary editors

ignore these kinds of attitudes about language.

They try to provide us some guidance about words

that are considered slang or informal

or offensive, often through usage labels,

but they're in something of a bind,

because they're trying to describe what we do,

and they know that we often go to dictionaries

to get information about how we should use a word

well or appropriately.

In response, the American Heritage Dictionaries

include usage notes.

Usage notes tend to occur with words

that are troublesome in one way,

and one of the ways that they can be troublesome

is that they're changing meaning.

Now usage notes involve very human decisions,

and I think, as dictionary users,

we're often not as aware of those human decisions

as we should be.

To show you what I mean,

we'll look at an example, but before we do,

I want to explain what the dictionary editors

are trying to deal with in this usage note.

Think about the word "peruse"

and how you use that word.

I would guess many of you are thinking

of skim, scan, reading quickly.

Some of you may even have some walking involved,

because you're perusing grocery store shelves,

or something like that.

You might be surprised to learn

that if you look in most standard dictionaries,

the first definition will be to read carefully,

or pore over.

American Heritage has that as the first definition.

They then have, as the second definition, skim,

and next to that, they say "usage problem."

(Laughter)

And then they include a usage note,

which is worth looking at.

So here's the usage note:

"Peruse has long meant 'to read thoroughly'...

But the word is often used more loosely,

to mean simply 'to read.'...

Further extension of the word to mean 'to glance over, skim,'

has traditionally been considered an error,

but our ballot results suggest that it is becoming

somewhat more acceptable.

When asked about the sentence,

'I only had a moment to peruse the manual quickly,'

66 percent of the [Usage] Panel

found it unacceptable in 1988,

58 percent in 1999,

and 48 percent in 2011."

Ah, the Usage Panel,

that trusted body of language authorities

who is getting more lenient about this.

Now, what I hope you're thinking right now is,

"Wait, who's on the Usage Panel?

And what should I do with their pronouncements?"

If you look in the front matter

of American Heritage Dictionaries,

you can actually find the names

of the people on the Usage Panel.

But who looks at the front matter of dictionaries?

There are about 200 people on the Usage Panel.

They include academicians,

journalists, creative writers.

There's a Supreme Court justice on it

and a few linguists.

As of 2005, the list includes me.

(Applause)

Here's what we can do for you.

We can give you a sense

of the range of opinions about contested usage.

That is and should be the extent of our authority.

We are not a language academy.

About once a year, I get a ballot

that asks me about whether new uses,

new pronunciations, new meanings, are acceptable.

Now here's what I do to fill out the ballot.

I listen to what other people are saying and writing.

I do not listen to my own likes

and dislikes about the English language.

I will be honest with you:

I do not like the word "impactful,"

but that is neither here nor there

in terms of whether "impactful" is becoming common usage

and becoming more acceptable in written prose.

So to be responsible,

what I do is go look at usage,

which often involves going to look

at online databases such as Google Books.

Well, if you look for "impactful" in Google Books,

here is what you find.

Well, it sure looks like "impactful"

is proving useful

for a certain number of writers,

and has become more and more useful

over the last 20 years.

Now, there are going to be changes

that all of us don't like in the language.

There are going to be changes where you think,

"Really?

Does the language have to change that way?"

What I'm saying is,

we should be less quick

to decide that that change is terrible,

we should be less quick to impose

our likes and dislikes about words on other people,

and we should be entirely reluctant

to think that the English language is in trouble.

It's not. It is rich and vibrant and filled

with the creativity of the speakers who speak it.

In retrospect, we think it's fascinating

that the word "nice" used to mean silly,

and that the word "decimate"

used to mean to kill one in every 10.

(Laughter)

We think that Ben Franklin was being silly

to worry about "notice" as a verb.

Well, you know what?

We're going to look pretty silly in a hundred years

for worrying about "impact" as a verb

and "invite" as a noun.

The language is not going to change so fast

that we can't keep up.

Language just doesn't work that way.

I hope that what you can do

is find language change not worrisome

but fun and fascinating,

just the way dictionary editors do.

I hope you can enjoy being part

of the creativity that is continually remaking

our language and keeping it robust.

So how does a word get into a dictionary?

It gets in because we use it

and we keep using it,

and dictionary editors are paying attention to us.

If you're thinking, "But that lets all of us decide

what words mean,"

I would say, "Yes it does,

and it always has."

Dictionaries are a wonderful guide and resource,

but there is no objective dictionary authority out there

that is the final arbiter about what words mean.

If a community of speakers is using a word

and knows what it means, it's real.

That word might be slangy,

that word might be informal,

that word might be a word that you think

is illogical or unnecessary,

but that word that we're using,

that word is real.

Thank you.

(Applause)