Tag: Oxford English Dictionary

Posted in: 2023

184. A Few More Words: Deprecate

I talk about the two most known uses of this word in English, one the very common "self-deprecating," and the other, the less well-known sense in computing. Along the way, I discover that the two big dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary and the Merriam-Webster Unabridged, don't include the latter meaning, and the definition in the OED hasn't been updated fully in a long time.

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode_character_property#Deprecated

Collins COBUILD Dictionary
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/deprecate (scroll down)

Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology (editor: Philip A. Laplante), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2017

Posted in: 2023

182. Enhancing the Oxford English Dictionary

My guest today is Dr. David Williams, who is an associate professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Canada. He has a five-year academic grant of over $250,000 to continue his work on the Oxford English Dictionary, with two main goals, which we talk about.

David Williams
https://uwaterloo.ca/english/people-profiles/david-williams

The Life of Words: Poetry, Lexicography, and Computing
https://thelifeofwords.uwaterloo.ca/

Posted in: 2023

164. How Was Your Weekend, Fin de Semaine, or Fine Settimana?

I discuss the recent announcement by the Italian government that it is introducing legislation to levy fines on those who use foreign terms, when there is an Italian equivalent, in official documents. I also talk about similar prescriptive tendencies by the governments of France and of the province of Quebec in Canada.

Sources:

"Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words" (CTV News)
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/italian-government-seeks-to-penalize-the-use-of-english-words-1.6338822

Grande dizionario della lingua italiana
https://www.gdli.it/

Dictionnaire de l’Académie française
https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/

Vitrine linguistique (Office québécois de la langue française)
https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/

Oxford English Dictionary
https://www.oed.com/