Print dictionaries: Are they really useful?

       In Erin McKean's essay, Redefining Definition: How the Web Could Help Change What Dictionaries Do, the way we use words in a dictionary as opposed how we should use them is exposed. Lexicographers (people who write, edit, or compile dictionaries), define words through careful analysis of the various meanings the word may have, and then give a general definition. It for that reason, McKean points out, that definitions cannot give the reader a feel of the many meaning it has. People usually see a word defined in the dictionary and feel as though it's set in stone and there's no arguing it's meaning otherwise. The author concludes that the reason why dictionaries only give the reader a general definition is because of space. Dictionaries, specifically those in print, do not allow the reader to get an idea of the various meanings a word can have, which is why McKean started Wordnik, a site where "using text-mining techniques and the unlimited space of the Internet to show as many real examples of word use as we can, as fast as we can." The author believes that this method of defining words allow the inquirer to feel more comfortable when using and understanding the word "more naturally."


Image Credit: Christian Payne

       In paragraph 2, the author compares sonnets to definitions of words. Because a word defined in a print dictionary is formed through several definitions a word has, it is similar to a sonnet, which consists of fourteen rhyming lines with a set structure. The author also adds to her credibility by quoting linguist Dwight Bolinger, who stated that dictionaries "do not exist to define but but to help people grasp meanings," to better support her stance on why print dictionaries do not sufficiently allow the reader to understand the meaning of a word. The author creates pathos in the final paragraph by using the word "we," in order to address the reader on a more personal level. This creates a relationship between the reader and the author.

The author also references a study done in 1987, which involved allowing fifth graders were given dictionary definition and told to write sentences using the words. One child stated that he and his family "erode a lot," because "erode" is defined as "to eat out." This reference justifies the position the reader has on just how confusing the abstract definitions found in a dictionary can be.
     I liked how this essay exposes people who use dictionaries to scientifically prove the definition of a word. I agree with the writer's position on how abstract definitions of a word found in a dictionary can be, and how the Internet can be used to show the varying definitions a word can have, so that the reader can understand and use the word more naturally.