Urban Dictionary

Thu Jan 9 00:02:51 UTC 2014

Speaking for anyone who doesn't want to waste his time.

Any such letter would be seen as a differing opinion on a trivial story.
Chance of publication: effectively nil. Chance of influencing UD or its
contributors: less.

Try it!

JL

On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 6:14 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Urban Dictionary
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 1/8/2014 11:47 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > >  Is anyone writing a letter to the Times?
> >
> >No.
>
> Speaking for yourself, Jon?
>
> Joel
>
>
>
> >JL
> >
> >
> >On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 11:12 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > Subject:      Re: Urban Dictionary
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > At 1/8/2014 09:27 AM, Dave Wilton wrote:
> > > >UD can be a useful tool if used with discretion, however. It is a
> > > >quick-and-dirty tool for checking if an alleged slang term is in
> actual
> > > >circulation or to see what the possible range of meanings for a term
> might
> > > >be. And it is often easy to distinguish the joke or made-up senses
> from
> > > >those that are recorded by thoughtful amateurs (the latter of which
> can
> > > >actually be useful and sometimes do contain actual usage citations).
> > > >
> > > >Like any dictionary, one needs to know the particulars of its scope
> and
> > > >methodology before employing it usefully.
> > >
> > > Regardless of the above, which I suspect is true infrequently,* the
> > > UD requires a large-print "Hazard" sign rather than uncritical praise
> > > or the positive tone of the NYTimes article.  Is anyone writing a
> > > letter to the Times?
> > >
> > > Do any of the "actual usage citations" cite written evidence, or
> > > reputable oral evidence?
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > >-----Original Message-----
> > > >From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf
> > > Of
> > > >Jonathan Lighter
> > > >Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2014 8:44 AM
> > > >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > >Subject: Re: Urban Dictionary
> > > >
> > > >Now that UD has a swado-hip following, however, some its coinages will
> > > >certainly get into the shite-geist.
> > > >
> > > >JL
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 8:31 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> > > ><wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I used to refer to Urban Dictionary daily.
> > > > >
> > > > > If you know what you're looking for, it's like going into a
> playground
> > > > > and saying, "Hey, teens! What do you think of this groovy word?"
> And
> > > > > believing whatever they say.
> > > > >
> > > > > Without analysis.
> > > > >
> > > > > If you're looking for new terms in actual use, however, dream up
> your
> > > own.
> > > > >  My professional opinion is that the majority of entries that are
> > > > > unfamiliar to say, us, are jokes and coinages used by more or less
> > > nobody.
> > > > >
> > > > > I think it was 1946 when Morroe Berger wrote in _American Speech_
> on
> > > > > "Some Excesses of Slang Compilers." That essay goes double now.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > JL
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 8:12 AM, Christopher Philippo <toff at mac.com
> >
> > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > >> -----------------------
> > > > >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > >> Poster:       Christopher Philippo <toff at MAC.COM>
> > > > >> Subject:      Urban Dictionary
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >> ----------
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Wortham, Jenna. "A Lexicon of Instant Argot." N.Y. Times. January
> 3,
> > > > >> 2014.
> > > > >>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/technology/a-lexicon-of-the-interne
> > > > >> t-updated-by-its-users.html
> > > > >>
> > > > >> A claim in the article that Urban Dictionary documents regional
> > > > >> Internet vernacular in real time in an important way is absurd.
> The
> > > > >> majority of it appears to be immature (and not infrequently
> > > > >> disgusting or bigoted) attempts at humor, not actual words anybody
> > > > >> uses.  Wortham mentions "recent casual references by figures like
> Jon
> > > > >> Stewart on 'The Daily Show'".  That's
> > > > >> misleading: when I've heard him mention it, it's in reference to
> the
> > > > >> disgusting contrived sexual acts people invent solely for Urban
> > > >Dictionary.
> > > > >>  The often terrible examples and the lack of citations or even
> > > > >> information about what regions of the world or the Internet where
> the
> > > > >> terms are allegedly being used keeps the site at sub-amateur
> level.
> > > > >> ADS doesn't seem to think it is "important" or "the
> anthropologist of
> > > > >> the Internet" (but if I'm wrong, please correct me):
> > > > >>
> > > > >> "A freewheeling and erratic compilation of words, invented and
> real,
> > > > >> submitted, defined, and approved by users."
> > > > >> http://www.americandialect.org/urbandictionarycom
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Kaufman, Leslie. "For the Word on the Street, Courts Call Up an
> > > > >> Online Witness." N.Y. Times. May 20, 2013.
> > > > >>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/business/media/urban-dictionary-fin
> > > > >> ds-a-place-in-the-courtroom.html
> > > > >>
> > > > >> That there are judges citing Urban Dictionary in decisions is
> fairly
> > > > >> alarming - and that it's cheaper than using an expert because it's
> > > > >> free is not a good reason to use it.  It calls to mind a worse
> > > example:
> > > > >>
> > > > >> "In determining whether to release the documents [in response to a
> > > > >> Freedom of Information Law request], the school searched both
> > > > >> Wikipedia and Google, Gauthier said."
> > > > >>
> http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/ameast/s
> > > > >>
> tory/2012-03-29/stony-brook-steve-pickiell-contract-secret/53838432/1
> > > > >> The State University of New York Freedom of Information Law
> Appeals
> > > > >> Officer citing Wikipedia is troublesome, and her citing "Google"
> > > > >> (i.e. "the
> > > > >> Internet") is akin to citing "the library".  Ms. Gauthier has a
> > > > >> salary of about $90,000 (
> > > > >>
> http://new-york-employees.findthedata.org/l/2282018/Geraldine-M-Gauth
> > > > >> ier) yet does work that wouldn't be accepted in a report by an
> > > > >> elementary school student.  I've found writing her about problems
> of
> > > > >> SUNY compliance with FOIL, the NY Personal Privacy Protection Law,
> > > > >> and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to be useless:
> > > > >> she's never responded once.  (Among other things, I once had to
> file a
> > > >FOIL request for my own grades for a class !
> > > > >>  because the professor wouldn't provide them, and my department
> > > > >> advisor, the Registrar, and others wouldn't help me obtain them.
>  I
> > > > >> was charged
> > > > >> $30.00 to obtain my own grades for a class.  Nice scam they have
> > > > >> going
> > > > >> there!)
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Christopher K. Philippo
> > > > >>
> > > > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > > > truth."
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >--
> > > >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > >
> > > >------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > >
> > > >------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org