Word by Word, Kory Stamper
Word by Word, Kory Stamper
4 Rating(s)
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Word by Word
The Secret Life of Dictionaries

Author: Kory Stamper

Narrator: Kory Stamper

Unabridged: 9 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/14/2017


Synopsis

Do you have strong feelings about the word “irregardless”? Have you ever tried to define the word “is”? Brimming with intelligence and personality, this vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made is a must-read for word mavens.

Many of us take dictionaries for granted, and few may realize that the process of writing dictionaries is, in fact, as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define, how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. And along the way, she reveals little-known surprises—for example, the fact that “OMG” was first used in a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917.

Word by Word brings to life the hallowed halls (and highly idiosyncratic cubicles) of Merriam-Webster, a startlingly rich world inhabited by quirky and erudite individuals who quietly shape the way we communicate. Certain to be a delight for all lovers of words, Stamper’s debut will make you laugh as much as it makes you appreciate the wonderful complexities and eccentricities of the English language.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hannah on May 07, 2024

Fascinating and funny. Loved it. 😊 I'm on BookTube again! Come find me at Hello, Bookworm📚🐛 ORIGINAL POST 👇 Click here to watch a video review of on my (old) BookTube channel, From Beginning to Bookend. For many people, the dictionary is a relic once used by grandparents and is now, in its retir......more

Goodreads review by Snotchocheez on April 03, 2017

4 stars This totally satisfied my inner "word-nerd". Lexicographer/Merriam-Webster Dictionary-writer (and blogger/vlogger) Kory Stamper provides, with Word by Word, a humorous and fascinating look at the dying art of dictionary construction. It's not nearly as stuffy and dull as the subject matter m......more

Goodreads review by Carlos on May 26, 2017

I liked this book a lot, but I do have to admit that it was a dense one and it appeals to a sparse group of people. This book needs to be read slow to be enjoyed in a more satisfying manner . I liked how the author made us feel her love for the English Language and how she applied that to her job as......more

Goodreads review by Kalin on May 05, 2020

A priceless weapon in the war against linguistic pedantry. (But not much use to a professional linguist: it's mostly 101 and 201.) Behold: ~ For fun, I'm going to list here all the words and phrases I've learnt from this book: chaw board book scleroderma cacafuego kegger brownnoser lickspittle lexophile colloq......more

Goodreads review by Katerina on June 28, 2021

3.5 Хоть я и фанат словаря Merriam-Webster, я немного разочарована книгой одной из его редакторок (почему-то уверена, что, говори Стэмпер по-русски, она непременно бы использовала феминитивы). Сразу оговорюсь, почему. Мне показалось, что местами она слишком уж пытается подсюсюкнуть массовому читател......more


Quotes

"As a writer, Kory Stamper can do anything with words: define them, split them, lump them, agglute them, and make them work for her every bit as ferociously and precisely as she works for them in her day job as a far from mild-mannered lexicographer at Merriam-Webster. You will never take a dictionary entry for granted again." —Mary Norris, bestselling author of Between You & Me
 
"A love letter to letters themselves... A cheerful and thoughtful rebuke of the cult of the grammar scolds. Stamper [is] a wry and charming correspondent. Word by Word is, like a dictionary itself, a composite affair: It’s a memoir that is also an explanation of the work that writing a dictionary entails." —Megan Garber, The Atlantic

"An unlikely page-turner…Stamper displays a contagious enthusiasm for words...Illuminating." The New Yorker

"Delightful… Informed, irreverent and witty…A gloriously (occasionally even uproariously) well written book, and unsurprisingly erudite. Do read [Word by Word]." —Stevie Godson, New York Journal of Books