Write For Us

Anne Curzan: What makes a word "real"?

E-Commerce Solutions SEO Solutions Marketing Solutions
226 Views

  • Thanks! Share it with your friends!

    You disliked this video. Thanks for the feedback!

Danielle
Published
One could argue that slang words like 'hangry,' 'defriend' and 'adorkable' fill crucial meaning gaps in the English language, even if they don't appear in the dictionary. After all, who actually decides which words make it into those vaulted pages? Language historian Anne Curzan gives a charming look at the humans behind dictionaries, and the choices they make on a constant basis.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at

Follow TED news on Twitter:
Like TED on Facebook:

Subscribe to our channel:
Category
Social
Be the first to comment