Found this interesting...
This may be interesting to you or not but I find it very interesting. AT ANY RATE, IF THIS BORES YOU JUST JUMP DOWN TO THE BOTTOM AND TAKE THE DICTIONARY I.Q. TEST. Let me know what you think.
How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?
The other day I came across an article from the Merriam-Webster dictionary that listed how words are selected to be placed in the dictionary. Actually it is a very in-depth process.
1) First stage is tracking word usage (they’re out there watching us) - To decide which words to include in the dictionary and to determine what they mean, Merriam-Webster editors study the language as it's used. They carefully monitor which words people use most often and how they use them. Each day most Merriam-Webster editors devote an hour or two to reading a cross section of published material, including books, newspapers, magazines, and electronic publications; in their office this activity is called "reading and marking."
2) Citations (that is a lot of words) - The marked passages are then put into a computer system and stored both in machine-readable form and on 3" x 5" slips of paper to create citations. Merriam-Webster's citation files, which were begun in the 1880s, now contain 15.7 million examples of words used in context and cover all aspects of the English vocabulary.
3) From citation to entry (this will help you in your next game of scrabble) - To be included in a Merriam-Webster dictionary, a word must be used in a substantial number of citations that come from a wide range of publications over a considerable period of time. Specifically, the word must have enough citations to allow accurate judgments about its establishment, currency, and meaning.
Test your dictionary I.Q.: The 2006 update of The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary added 100 new words. Listed below are some of those words. Take a look at these words to see if you use them or if you even know what they mean.
Instructions: See if you can pick the definitions of the words below. When you are done you can send your answers to my email address (christnationministries@juno.com) and I will tell you how you have done. Good luck.
New words added
1. Brain freeze (noun):
2. Chick flick (noun):
3. Wi-Fi (noun):
4. Mouse Potato (noun):
5. Supersize (noun):
6. Drama Queen (noun):
7. Unibrow (noun):
8. Sandwich Generation (noun):
9. Soul Patch (noun):
10. Google (verb):
Definitions:
a) to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web
b) a sudden shooting pain in the head caused by ingesting very cold food (as ice cream) or drink
c) used to certify the interoperability of wireless computer networking devices
d) a person given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions
e) a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer
f) a single continuous brow resulting from the growing together of eyebrows
g) to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of
h) a motion picture intended to appeal especially to women
i) a generation of people who are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children
j) a small growth of beard under a man's lower lip
1 _____
2 _____
3 _____
4 _____
5 _____
6 _____
7 _____
8 _____
9 _____
10 _____
Click here to take the test online:
http://www.christnationministries.org/forms/use/iqdictionary2/form1.html
How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?
The other day I came across an article from the Merriam-Webster dictionary that listed how words are selected to be placed in the dictionary. Actually it is a very in-depth process.
1) First stage is tracking word usage (they’re out there watching us) - To decide which words to include in the dictionary and to determine what they mean, Merriam-Webster editors study the language as it's used. They carefully monitor which words people use most often and how they use them. Each day most Merriam-Webster editors devote an hour or two to reading a cross section of published material, including books, newspapers, magazines, and electronic publications; in their office this activity is called "reading and marking."
2) Citations (that is a lot of words) - The marked passages are then put into a computer system and stored both in machine-readable form and on 3" x 5" slips of paper to create citations. Merriam-Webster's citation files, which were begun in the 1880s, now contain 15.7 million examples of words used in context and cover all aspects of the English vocabulary.
3) From citation to entry (this will help you in your next game of scrabble) - To be included in a Merriam-Webster dictionary, a word must be used in a substantial number of citations that come from a wide range of publications over a considerable period of time. Specifically, the word must have enough citations to allow accurate judgments about its establishment, currency, and meaning.
Test your dictionary I.Q.: The 2006 update of The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary added 100 new words. Listed below are some of those words. Take a look at these words to see if you use them or if you even know what they mean.
Instructions: See if you can pick the definitions of the words below. When you are done you can send your answers to my email address (christnationministries@juno.com) and I will tell you how you have done. Good luck.
New words added
1. Brain freeze (noun):
2. Chick flick (noun):
3. Wi-Fi (noun):
4. Mouse Potato (noun):
5. Supersize (noun):
6. Drama Queen (noun):
7. Unibrow (noun):
8. Sandwich Generation (noun):
9. Soul Patch (noun):
10. Google (verb):
Definitions:
a) to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web
b) a sudden shooting pain in the head caused by ingesting very cold food (as ice cream) or drink
c) used to certify the interoperability of wireless computer networking devices
d) a person given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions
e) a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer
f) a single continuous brow resulting from the growing together of eyebrows
g) to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of
h) a motion picture intended to appeal especially to women
i) a generation of people who are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children
j) a small growth of beard under a man's lower lip
Place your answers below:
1 _____
2 _____
3 _____
4 _____
5 _____
6 _____
7 _____
8 _____
9 _____
10 _____
Click here to take the test online:
http://www.christnationministries.org/forms/use/iqdictionary2/form1.html
posted by DaRonn Washington @ 6:09 PM
3 Comments
