With the future word inclusion policies of the Oxford English Dictionary unclear, various professionals were invited to attend a one-day international symposium. Stefan Dollinger, a lexicographer at the University of British Columbia, was one of the invited. Dollinger, one of two Canadians on the list, believes it is time the historic dictionary considers including English words that have been created or evolved over the years in countries that use the language as a predominant form of communication. He believes English now has the potential to become the working language of the world.
This is the first such meeting since the dictionary was first conceived about 155 years ago. This very interesting information was found on CTV News in their article, “Oxford English Dictionary to mull what gets in with rare symposium.”
Currently, the Oxford English Dictionary includes mostly British English, along with bits of American and Canadian English. To achieve Dollinger’s suggestion, the Oxford English Dictionary would not only have to include words from countries such as Canada and the U.S., or even former British colonies such as India or Pakistan, but nations such as China, Russia and other European countries as well.
Melody K. Smith
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