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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) should no longer be the main authority on the English language because it did not keep pace with today's rapid linguistic changes, said a report on Thursday.
Leftwing think-tank Demos said the OED should be replaced by a website - democtionary.org - that would allow English-speaking members of the public from Britain and abroad to contribute their own words and definitions.
The report's co-author, Sam Jones, said an on-line dictionary similar to the user-generated internet encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, was needed to track the pace of language change and the influence of non-native speakers on it.
Quote:
"English can no longer be seen as a single language, but more as a family of languages," he said. "Each of these reflect the different ways people experience the world.
- Note: Its called dialect mate, and its been around for 1000s of years.
I think this will lead to severe degradation of the English language. Just look at things like http://www.urbandictionary.com/. There have always been many words for things, buzzwords, slang and dialect; just because wiki technology is there, does not mean suddently these words should become widely used as part of the english language and even correct.
A Buzz word always has an improper meaning or other more descriptive meaning, and is sometimes if not always a marketing invention or PR stunt; or its just merely popular slang; usually introduced by a short lived cult; and the word is "out of fashion" within sometimes weeks.
Maybe, the OD should have an online "suggestions" system, but Just imagine the abuse of the English language if it where a wiki. I think its completely impractical and wrong. There are already many words being introduced to the OD, and these words need to be referenced strongly and researched, not just contributed by a few internet savvy teenagers who are a victim of the media; the system is there and it needn't be changed yet, maybe a more open, online system is needed to satisfy the people behind this; even then people just need educating! The OED, which is compiled by a team of lexicographers with contributions from "readers" around the world, has been "the last word on words" for more than a century and is one of the greatest works of scholarship.
Nowadays, the OED is online, is accessed regularly all over the world, and its entries trace many varieties of English that now form the language.
As it happens, their latest update today includes our entry for wiki, but for 150 years the OED has been based on a collaborative model of gathering information from readers everywhere.
"In addition, we search huge databanks recording a cross-section of the many forms of English used today."
It is an impractical and derogatory proposal that would lead to the demise of the English language; I cant see it being implemented in any major way or especially as a substitute, just read what I wrote about the OED system and you'll understand!
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