Category: Lexicography

Categories
Psycholinguistics Morphology Lexicography Etymology

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Estimated read time 5 min read

Have you ever felt a longing for a place you’ve never been, or the bittersweetness of a fleeting moment you couldn’t describe? This post explores “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows,” a project by John Koenig that invents beautiful new words for emotions we all feel but cannot name. Delve into the linguistic artistry behind neologisms like “sonder” and “anemoia,” and discover the profound human need to define our own experiences.

Categories
Linguistics Etymology Lexicography

How Dictionaries Decide Who Lives and Who Dies

Estimated read time 6 min read

Ever wonder how words like “rizz” become official while others fade away into obscurity? This post goes behind the scenes of lexicography, revealing the data-driven process that determines when a word is born and when it’s marked for death. Discover how you, as a speaker, hold the ultimate power in the life and death of language.