Word by Word
The Secret Life of Dictionaries
Ranked #12 in Dictionaries, Ranked #20 in Language — see more rankings.
Brimming with intelligence and personality, a vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made a must read for word mavens.
While most of us might take dictionaries for granted, the process of writing them is in fact as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography--from the agonizing decisions about what and how to define, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define (have you ever tried to... more
While most of us might take dictionaries for granted, the process of writing them is in fact as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography--from the agonizing decisions about what and how to define, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define (have you ever tried to... more
Rankings by Category
Word by Word is ranked in the following categories:
- #75 in Archives
- #35 in Editing
- #30 in Linguistics
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