http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2007-07-10-dictionary-new-words_N.htm#open-share-help
In class, we are always discussing how to and if we should allow AAVE in the classroom, be it spoken or written. My question is, what if the word that students use outside of the classroom that is not formal is included in the dictionary? This presents a real problem for me. 'Ginormous' is not a word. It is a combination of two words, gigantic and enormous. Either of those words would be appropriate in a paper, when used as an adjective. However, should 'ginormous' be acceptable? In my opinion, no. It is a word that is to be used outside of the classroom with friends or in a text message. I can tell students that are in high school now that they know the difference between formal and informal words. What I worry about is the students who have yet to enter kindergarden and do not know formal from informal or what a dictionary is. When they learn about the dictionary these words, created words, will be in there. Will there soon be a class where students have to learn which dictionary words are appropriate and which aren't? Are teachers going to have to make a list of which words are appropriate to be used in papers?
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Hi, Katelin,
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind my responding to your post. Laura told me about the class's blog, and invited me to visit.
The issue you raise about the dictionary and appropriate vocabulary is interesting. It reminds me of a saying kids had when I was little: "You ain't supposed to use ain't because ain't ain't in the dictionary." The irony of the statement, of course, is that any American English speaker would understand the sentence. It reveals, in other words, the futility of attempting to impose rules on a language (rather than describing the structure of a language as it is actually used)and the myth of the dictionary as some complete representation of the words that make up the language.
To your question about whether we'll eventually have to teach kids what words from the dictionary are real and which are made up (I'm paraphrasing), the response that pops to mind for me is that every word in the dictionary is made up. Some of them have older origins than others, but that's the only difference. Dictionary editors and publishers pay people to monitor neologisms constantly, and every time a new edition of the dictionary is being prepared, words that have come into common usage (based on their appearances in various media) are added to the dictionary. Part of our job as English teachers is always to help students understand how purpose and audience can usefully guide our choices of vocabulary, syntax, style, and such. Then, students will be able to figure out on their own when and where "ginormous," or any other newer or older word, will get the job done.
Katelin - In reading over your original post, I realize that your issue wasn't so much that "ginormous" is made up as that it's informal. My basic response is the same, though - issues of formality and informality of vocabulary are part and parcel of what we teach every day as English teachers.
ReplyDeleteThis article addresses a very critical issue. We have all had teachers who have referred us to the dictionary when we did not know the meaning or spelling of a word. So by adding words such as these to the dictionary, does it lose its credibility? Teachers can no longer justify an incorrect word by saying it is not in the dictionary.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about the word, "crunk"? Is that really a word with staying power? Or is it part of a trend that will soon fade? Think about the words our parents used that are now outdated (ex: "groovy" or "far out"). Those words are not commonly used in conversation anymore, so do they deserve to stay in the dictionary?
Words such as "ginormous" and "crunk" would never be used in any academic or formal writing, but it IS used nevertheless. And not only is it used, it is also understood, just as Dr. Weinstein said. These words are not even real words - they are combinations of words, as Katelin said. So, I feel that if people know their implied meaning and recognize the words used to create these terms, it is not really necessary for them to be in the dictionary.
In response to Katelin’s blog posting and the comments posted, I think that having the word ginormous in the dictionary is very important to our society and educational field. I think that words and dialects are always changing and morphing into different areas. I think words like “crunk” give the dictionary its credibility. If our language would stay constant and not evolve, we probably would have a very limited vocabulary. I think that it is important to record these words for future generations to look back and study how language changes. This may show what factors go into changing a dialect or language. Should teachers actively draw attention to these word changes in our society? Should teachers just either deal with it as it comes along or ignore it completely?
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Dr. Weinstein’s statements about how writers should know their audience. Using words like ginormous and crunk may really connect with a certain demographic or audience. Students should be able to know the difference between formal and informal writing and speaking.
I found it funny as I typed this post in a word document, ginormous was continually underlined as a misspelled word.
Great discussion here! Thanks for getting it started, Katelin. I hope it continues!
ReplyDeleteI can see that this is a somewhat touchy subject, but I really wanted to express my reasons fro agreeing with Katelin.
ReplyDeleteThough I agree that the dictionary is meant to change with the times and reflect the current dialects/trends/ways of communicating, I also believe there should be limits.
Take for example the word "Bovvered" which can mean being about something or not being bothered by something. During my literacy history project, my student told me this was a word she loved in Ebonics. She also listed several other words and phrases which she gave meanings to, like "yaddamean" and "the dumb way."
So, just say that these words became extremely popular and widely used throughout the US. Should they be added to the dictionary?
The dictionary is a resource of the modern English language. But shouldn't the language regarded as modern still be considered the proper/accepted language. I think Webster should make a separate section for slang if they want to include it. The dictionary may be a resource of modern language, but it is also, as we know, an extremely important resource in classrooms everywhere. This resource needs to be legitimate and able to enhance student education.
First of all, who are the lucky people that get to decide what words are deemed actual words and which ones aren't? What a crazy job!I heard something like 5,000 words are added to the dictionary every year! But do words ever get taken out? If the English language is going to continue evolving and growing, why are words like "thus", "brethren" and "wherefore" still in the dictionary? I think that part of the issue here is that English is a language that is a huge conglomeration of everybody else’s language. We include “bourgeoisie” and rendezvous, which are obviously very French. “Bravo” and “Adobe” are Spanish words but can be found in the English dictionary. “Feng Shui” and “Tycoon” are Chinese, but they are words that we English speaking native both understand and use. Why is it so unacceptable to put words from American dialects in the Dictionary? Granted, not every word is appropriate for a formal essays or papers. But students should learn that some words are simply spoken. “Crunk”, “ginormous”, and “far-out” are some examples.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Scott's response to Katelyn's blog posting, because society is in fact always changing. As the years go by, new words are created and used all the time. Just as I hear people using the word "crunk" often, I hear my peers use "ginormous" as if it has always been a word! In my opinion, it is not a matter of whether a word is formal or informal in the dictionary, it is how often it is used and what it means. The purpose of a dictionary is to give information and meanings of words of a language. However, as an English teacher, I should be able to teach my students what I consider to be formal and informal English, and to use formal language when writing formal papers and essays. If words like crunk and ginormous are used more than some words in the dictionary these days, then why not include them?
ReplyDelete