[Argh, I hate this client, it eats my posts and I never know until somebody tells me.]
I think everybody remembers that dreaded day this summer when Sarah Palin didn’t know how to spell repudiate, and the world exploded. Trust me, I remember it well, I was on vacation and woke up to about 10,000 messages telling me that Palin had compared herself to Shakespeare. A book even came out of all the ShakesPalinisms that were spawned.
I would happily forget the whole thing. Except that the New Oxford American Dictionary has made her nonsense word the Word Of The Year, thus continuing to demonstrate the uselessness of dictionaries. I’ll leave it to Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers to eviscerate her, and them, the right way.
Just to clarify—are you saying that you refudiate their decision?
kj
No, I think he is saying he reputes it.
But I think it is no worse than Webster's decision to include George Bush's pronunciation of "nuc-u-lar" for nuclear as an acceptable one in its dictionary. Ugh!
–Carl
Just wondering…did Oxford also change their definition of 'wordsmith'?
I have a "new word" for Oxford: craptrap
Carl, Please tell me you're just kidding about "nucular"?…oh please…
"Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in -kye-ler have been found in widespread use among educated (sic) speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, U. S. cabinet members and at least two U. S. presidents and one vice president. While most common in the U. S., these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers."
–Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition
I am sure Samuel Johnson is rolling over in his grave. Refutedly.
Thanks Carl…I think…
What garbage. What happened to "hey it's pronounced this way"? Proper Pronunciation crooks no knee to title or personage in my opinion. More dumbing-down in progress–"as we speak" 🙂
I don't know if I'm angry or sad.