ONLINE EXTRA: More ways to find new words
Published: October 30, 2009
In the December 2009 issue of The Writer, Mark Peters described how online resources that track emerging language can offer "sparks of linguistic energy" for a writer's nonfiction and fiction work. Following are some of his additional resources for word mavens.
Other sources for new words
Double-Tongued Dictionary and Word Spy are the best sites for new words, but there are others places—online and off—where the ravenous word-collector can turn:
• Erin McKean's Twitter feed: McKean is editor of Verbatim: The Language Quarterly and co-founder of Worknik. The main focus of her Twitter feed is her word-of-the-day bulletins, which recently featured VEGIQUARIAN (a non-meat-eater, except for fish) and MICROMORT (a bizarre unit of measurement indicating one millionth of a chance of death).
• Word Routes: Ben Zimmer's column in the online Visual Thesaurus magazine often features new words, and Zimmer also contributes to the popular Language Log blog.
• Jargon Watch, a feature in Wired, curated by Jonathon Keats, brings new words with a technology focus to readers every month.
• Among the New Words: This column in the linguistics journal American Speech documents emerging words.
• Wordlustitude: Shameless-plug alert: My collection of nonce words—such as ABYSSLESSNESS, UNBEBUNNED, VOODOO-ISTICAL, WHATEVER-WHATEVER-OLGY and HAM-THUSIAST will give readers a sense of the wilder ways in which English is used.
Mark Peters
Mark Peters is a language columnist for Good and Visual Thesaurus and curator of the humorous dictionary Wordlustitude. He has written about language for Esquire and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
--Posted Oct. 30, 2009 |