#WordsAtSX

Word Curation: Dictionaries, Tech and the Future

Mar 11, 2017

5:00pm – 6:00pm CT

Are emoji words? Should "Pokémon," "genderqueer," or "Brexit" be added to the dictionary? What word best sums up 2016? Lexicography is a venerable profession that's changed a lot with new technology: now we can crowdfund a million new free-range definitions, find the exact person who first tweeted a new word and see in real time which words people are looking up and why. Join this panel of linguistic decision-makers for a behind-the-scenes look into how a new word makes it into the dictionary, where Words of the Year come from, how dictionaries use social media to engage the public and more.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

photo of Gretchen McCulloch
Gretchen McCulloch

All Things Linguistic

photo of Erin McKean
photo of Jane Solomon
Jane Solomon

Dictionary.com

photo of Ben Zimmer
Ben Zimmer

The Wall Street Journal

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