Uncovering the Hidden Treasures of Dictionaries: A Word-by-Word Exploration

Carol Denehy: On the one hand, this book is exactly as presented, describing the behind the scenes working of a large and respected dictionary manufacturer. However, this reader is trained in linguistics and how to analyze English speech. We understand more completely the history, origin, pressures and stresses, and influences that language is subject to. I doubt that a linguist would agonise over a phrase from one source trying the analyze part of speech for a particular word. There is also the issue of “idiolect,” or the version of English spoken by a single individual, which really can’t be taken as a legitimate example for the language as a whole. There are millions of dialects that must be taken into account. For example, I grew up in NYC, spent my higher education in the Southern USA, and my work life in Ohio. Each dialect rubbed off on my English and an idiom from one place would be warped into a later production. I found this book sometimes a tempest in a teapot, and missing the point completely. Read it as one untutored language user trying to make sense of a very complex subject using obsolete rules and guidelines.

Australia on Sep 01, 2023

ănyā: Well the information is awesome and at times boggling! The presentation and verbiage could have been more intriguing....

Now, this interests logophiles and philologists: had the ppt been better, it would have intrigued disinterested ( euphemism for laymen) ones too ...

India on Nov 28, 2021

Nauti: I knew nothing about lexicography and the world of dictionaries before reading this book. So it was definitely a worthwhile endeavour. But “endeavour” is what it felt like! The writing is dry and there isn’t an overarching narrative - just a collection of many anecdotes. But it did inspire me to look for a “grown up” dictionary and having done my research I settled on The Chamber’s 13th edition !

United Kingdom on Dec 28, 2020

Terry: Until I read this book (borrowed from my library through Amazon), I had no idea what the author calls my itch at some words as “sprachgefühl,” a German word we’ve stolen into English that means “a feeling for language.” It is just and right that today's (11/18/2019) word of the day my Android copy of Merriam-Webster is mot juste, meaning "the exactly right word or phrasing."

This is the story of a young woman who was privileged to work for Merriam-Webster. It starts with her interview, goes through her training, and then to the fun stuff. Working with words.

When the author started discussing the etymology of words, I almost swooned. The author is not an etymologist. She may aspire to be. The beginning usage of a word is carefully researched and cited. Then again. Every time a new dictionary is released. It sounds a perfect job. I will let you decide.

Oddly, there is at least one word used within the book that I cannot locate in my abridged copy of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. See if you can find find it. A search on the Internet did not bring up a definition. Just clues. One good thing about words is a person can...

United States on Nov 19, 2019

Manuel Fernandes: 'Word by Word: The secret life of dictionaries' by Kory Stamper, who spent almost two decades writing dictionaries at Merriam Webster, is a must-read for all those interested in the English language; and those who are not, read it anyway, you just might get interested. Drawing from her extensive experience, Ms. Stamper takes you in a highly entertaining manner through the process of defining words. The 300-page paperback covers all the serious stuff like the eight parts of speech (POS, “which also stands for 'piece of shit'”, she says), pronunciation, spelling, small words, bad words, wrong words, and the rest lucidly and with rare humour. Talking of MW's need for native English speakers as lexicographers, she says, “You need to know without being told that 'the cat are yowling' is not grammatically correct whereas 'the crowd are loving it' is just very British.” I am loving the book.

India on Aug 17, 2018

Hannah: For many people, the dictionary is a relic once used by grandparents and is now, in its retirement, relegated to the dishonorable position of dust-covered doorstop. Lexicographers – those quiet, anti-social compilers of dictionaries – are, presumably, a thing of the past. Not so, proclaims Kory Stamper, longstanding lexicographer for Merriam-Webster. In this rousing debut that unveils the complicated craft of defining words and the science of unearthing the etymological origins of their meaning, Stamper proves the dictionary is a lexical reference that’s long been taken for granted.

Stamper sets the tone in her opening chapter, giving readers a first taste of what’s to come: a candid portrayal of the ins and outs of lexicography, delivered with sharp wit and exactitude. Recalling the day she was hired by Merriam-Webster, Stamper invites readers to the hushed confines and inelegant cubicles of the “modest two-story brick building” in Springfield, Massachusetts where word mavens work, in some instances for months at a time, to extricate the definition, pronunciation, and etymological origin of individual words. Such work requires a reverence for the English...

United States on May 15, 2017

SW: This book is absolutely wonderful. It's so well written — really informative and full of erudition. But although it possesses both those characteristics, it's never dull — and it could well have been very dull indeed. Quite to the contrary, in fact; this book is chock a block full of humor. I haven't laughed out loud while reading a book like this for years. And make no mistake, this is a serious book! There are individual words and chapters that are gems — the chapter on pronunciation and the discussion on the definition of marriage are good examples.

It's a book that should be read by anyone with a layman's interest in the English language.

Bravo! (mid 18th century: from French, from Italian, literally ‘bold’ (see brave)

United Kingdom on Apr 06, 2017