A miniscule question: orthography and authority in dictionaries

By November 17, 2016,
Page 459-464
Author John Ayto
Title A miniscule question: orthography and authority in dictionaries
Abstract Dictionaries are quick to record neologisms and changes in the meaning of established words. But when a change emerges in the spelling of a word, the tendency is for dictionaries to ignore it. Semantic change and lexical innovation are recognized as integral parts of the evolution of language. But orthography is a far more static element of language, with the weight of several hundred years of written and printed tradition behind it. Any departure from convention can be stigmatized as illiterate, legitimizing its exclusion from dictionaries. The paper discusses the issues raised by this.
Session PART 5 - The Dictionary-Making Process
Keywords spelling, authority in dictionaries, written language, language change
BibTex 
@InProceedings{ELX92_2-020,
	   author = {John Ayto},
	   title = {A miniscule question: orthography and authority in dictionaries},
	   pages = {459-464},
	   booktitle = {Proceedings of the 5th EURALEX International Congress},
	   year = {1992},
	   month = {aug},
	   date = {4-9},
	   address = {Tampere, Finland},
	   editor = {Hannu Tommola & Krista Varantola,Tarja Salmi-Tolonen & Jurgen Schopp},
	   publisher = {Tampereen YIiopisto},
	   isbn = {951-44-3111-1},
	}
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