Ideas worth spreading

What makes a word "real"?

2,095,330 views | Anne Curzan • TEDxUofM

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 pages? Language historian Anne Curzan gives a charming look at the humans behind dictionaries, and the choices they make.

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 pages? Language historian Anne Curzan gives a charming look at the humans behind dictionaries, and the choices they make.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUofM, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Language historian

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English professor Anne Curzan actually encourages her students to use slang in class. A language historian, she is fascinated by how people use words—and by how this changes.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUofM, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.