Date:    Wed, 20 May 1998 16:49:44 EDT
<br>From:    AAllan <AAllan[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM>
<br>Subject: Among the New Words
<br>
<br>The chair of the ADS New Words Committee and conductor of the column "Among
<br>the New Words" in American Speech, Wayne Glowka, isn't on ADS-L; but he has
<br>this response to Tom Paikeday's posting of the other day.
<br>
<br>-----------------
<br>
<br>I have already had some correspondence with Paikeday about this subject.
<br>He has been concerned with some comment made by Jesse Sheidlower that
<br>Paikeday's method of coverage was less thorough than the method that Jesse
<br>has promoted of listing/recording everything that one comes across.
<br>
<br>John Algeo counseled me to run with the latest words even if I had only one
<br>citation so that the column could keep ahead of the desk dictionaries,
<br>which now have active new word editors and come out in newer editions
<br>faster than "Among the New Words" can get to press.  A case in point:
<br>Jesse was able to get out new dictionary with "soccer mom" before we were
<br>able to get out the article with the same word.
<br>
<br>After some discussion with Connie Eble and Ron Butters, I adopted Ron's
<br>belief that "Among the New Words" is never out of date.  Jesse can't list
<br>citations; we can.  Freed of that pressure, I have been dipping into the
<br>files that I now have and citing words that may now even be obsolete after
<br>five years--like the one you noted yesterday.  I am more interested now in
<br>thematic installments rather than in "coverage"--which, as Samuel Johnson
<br>learned, is impossible.
<br>
<br>One could run round and round in this argument for a long time.  Paikeday's
<br>suggestion about three independent citations is arbitrary but useful in
<br>saving the editor a lot of work and a lot of paper.  Electronic searching,
<br>however, makes it very easy to find three independent citations.  When I
<br>was following John's suggestion of keeping ahead of the dictionaries, I was
<br>trying to cite as many words as possible and did not always print all of
<br>the citations available because of space.
<br>
<br>It's all a question of what we want: a lot of words or a lot of quotes.
<br>Whatever the case, outside of a hundred or so basic words in our language
<br>the other millions seem to come and go with time and tide and place.
<br>
<br>I imagine that a widely used term like "soccer mom" will be as
<br>indecipherable as "bees knees" forty years from now.  However, we will have
<br>it and words like "cyberize" on record for some future harmless drudge's
<br>convenience.
<br>
<br>If you feel that it is appropriate to share this note with the list, please
<br>feel free to do so.
<br>
<br>Wayne Glowka
<br>