Lexicography

The Dictionary’s Phantom: Story of ‘Dord’

What happens when a word that doesn't exist appears in the dictionary? For thirteen years, the non-word 'dord' lived in…

6 days ago

Constructing a Field Dictionary from Scratch

Imagine being the first outsider to document a language with no written form. How would you create its first-ever dictionary?…

1 month ago

The Library’s DNA: Dewey Decimal Syntax

We often see the Dewey Decimal System as a simple filing method, but it's actually a complex and elegant language…

1 month ago

The Crossword’s AI Ghostwriter

Modern crosswords are not just a product of human ingenuity but a sophisticated collaboration with AI. This "ghostwriter" in the…

4 months ago

The Algorithmic Lexicographer

Forget the image of a scholar surrounded by dusty tomes. Today's lexicographer works at the digital frontier, using massive language…

4 months ago

The Colonist’s Dictionary, The People’s Voice

Colonial-era dictionaries and grammars, once crafted as tools of control to convert and assimilate Indigenous peoples, carry a profound irony.…

5 months ago

Building a Dictionary from Silence

Imagine a language that has never been written down, a rich tapestry of human thought existing only in sound and…

5 months ago

The Dictionary’s Phantom: Hunting for Mountweazels

What if some of the words in your dictionary were complete fabrications, planted by clever editors as copyright traps? These…

5 months ago

Ghost Words: The Dictionary’s Phantoms

What if a word in the dictionary never actually existed? These lexical phantoms, known as "ghost words", are born from…

5 months ago

The Politics of Dictionaries

Ever wonder who decides when a word like 'rizz' is official? This post delves into the surprisingly political world of…

5 months ago

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