With "marriage," the word gets applied to same-sex marriages by proponents and opponents alike. That means the word itself is changing, and we reflect this change. But because of the idea that the dictionary is the objective voice of authority… — Kory Stamper Copy Share Image
“Under ordinary circumstances, we learn to speak before we learn to read, and anyone who has tried to learn a foreign language knows that… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“Like many things that are claimed as Western inventions, grammar was first practiced in the East. According to scholars, there is a rich tradition… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
Whenever you try and simplify how people speak, it's just hard to squish them into a simple rule. Language doesn't work that way. — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is to think of English as a child. We love… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“It is best, in fact, to assume that every verbal illustration you write will offend someone, somewhere, at some point.” — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“It wasn’t story (good or bad) that pulled me in; it was English itself, the way it felt in my braces-caged mouth and rattled… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“Removing racial slurs from the dictionary will not eliminate racism; removing “injustice” from the dictionary will not bring about justice. If it were really… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
What makes autocorrect really interesting for a lexicographer is we read in a very weird way. A lot of times we'll catch things that… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
I make the case in the book that Standard English, that language we all aspire to live and move and have our being within,… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“bor·bo·ryg·mus \ˌbȯr-bə-ˈrig-məs\ n, pl bor·bo·ryg·mi \-ˌmī\ : intestinal rumbling caused by moving gas (MWC11)” — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“Person, Place, Thing (Noun); Describes Action (Verb); Modifies Nouns (Adjective); Answers the W Questions (Adverb); Joins Words Together (Conjunction); Things We Say When We… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
A lot of people thought oh, we caught the dictionary in racism, or all it takes is a whole bunch of people saying that… — Kory Stamper Copy Share
Words have always been political, and that means that, in many people's minds, dictionaries are political. Because that's what dictionaries do: they do words. — Kory Stamper Copy Share
“It’s not all “molly” and “asshat.” The etymologies of some words are, for the lexicographer and average joe alike, boring.” — Kory Stamper Copy Share
