#wordsatsx

Word Curation: Dictionaries, Tech and the Future

I’m moderating a panel at South by Southwest Interactive on Word Curation: Dictionaries, Tech, and the Future, where I’ll get to ask questions of linguists/lexicographers Erin McKean, Jane Solomon, and Ben Zimmer. We’re pretty excited. 

Here’s the panel description:

Are emoji words? Should "Pokémon," "genderqueer," or "Brexit" be added to the dictionary? What word best sums up 2016? Lexicography is a venerable profession that's changed a lot with new technology: now we can crowdfund a million new free-range definitions, find the exact person who first tweeted a new word and see in real time which words people are looking up and why. Join this panel of linguistic decision-makers for a behind-the-scenes look into how a new word makes it into the dictionary, where Words of the Year come from, how dictionaries use social media to engage the public and more.

Join us at 5pm on Saturday, March 11 in the Hyatt Regency Austin Texas Ballroom 1-3 if you happen to be at SXSW this year, or check out #WordsAtSX on twitter for livetweets or to tweet questions at us in advance.