Kory Stamper. (2017). Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. Unabridged Books on Tape.

Kory Stamper. 2017. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. Books on Tape.

Kory Stamper, Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. Books on Tape, 2017.

Kory Stamper. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. Unabridged Books on Tape, 2017.

OverDrive Product Record

images

• cover:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img100.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg
• thumbnail:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1191-1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img200.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover150Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1191-1/683/9A7/B1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img150.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover300Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1191-1/683/9A7/B1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img400.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg

formats

1. • identifiers:
     1. • type: 8
        • value: penguinrandomhouse_audio#9781524776152
     2. • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781524776169
   • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
   • id: audiobook-mp3
2. • identifiers:
     1. • type: 8
        • value: penguinrandomhouse_audio#9781524776152
     2. • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781524776169
   • name: OverDrive Listen
   • id: audiobook-overdrive

mediaType

Audiobook

primaryCreator

• role: Author
• name: Kory Stamper

title

Word by Word

dateAdded

2017-02-16T18:50:00-05:00

contentDetails

1. • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=2911144
   • type: text/html
   • account:
     • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
     • id: 1151

sortTitle

Word by Word The Secret Life of Dictionaries

crossRefId

2911144

subtitle

The Secret Life of Dictionaries

id

6839a7b1-39f4-484b-a901-78d9ab6c9ee8

starRating

4.1

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain

False

formats

1. • duration: 09:52:56
   • fileName: WordbyWord_9781524776152_2911144
   • partCount: 8
   • fileSize: 282725092
   • identifiers:
     1. • audience: retailer
        • type: 8
        • value: penguinrandomhouse_audio#9781524776152
     2. • audience: library
        • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781524776169
   • rights:
     1. • type: PlayOnPC
        • value: 1
     2. • type: PlayOnPCCount
        • value: -1
     3. • type: BurnToCD
        • value: 1
     4. • type: BurnToCDCount
        • value: -1
     5. • type: PlayOnPM
        • value: 1
     6. • type: TransferToSDMI
        • value: 1
     7. • type: TransferToNonSDMI
        • value: 1
     8. • type: TransferCount
        • value: -1
     9. • type: CollaborativePlay
        • value: 0
     10. • type: PublicPerformance
         • value: 0
     11. • type: TranscodeToAAC
         • value: 1
   • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
   • isReadAlong: False
   • id: audiobook-mp3
   • onSaleDate: 3/14/2017
   • samples:
     1. • source: Part 1
        • formatType: audiobook-mp3
        • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-425/1191-1/2911144-WordByWord.mp3
     2. • source: Part 1
        • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
        • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=6839a7b1-39f4-484b-a901-78d9ab6c9ee8&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
2. • duration: 09:48:55
   • fileName: WordbyWordTheSecretLifeofDictionaries-63119
   • partCount: 0
   • fileSize: 282686691
   • identifiers:
     1. • audience: retailer
        • type: 8
        • value: penguinrandomhouse_audio#9781524776152
     2. • audience: library
        • type: ISBN
        • value: 9781524776169
   • name: OverDrive Listen
   • isReadAlong: False
   • id: audiobook-overdrive
   • onSaleDate: 3/14/2017
   • samples:
     1. • source: Part 1
        • formatType: audiobook-mp3
        • url: https://excerpts.cdn.overdrive.com/FormatType-425/1191-1/2911144-WordByWord.mp3
     2. • source: Part 1
        • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
        • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=6839a7b1-39f4-484b-a901-78d9ab6c9ee8&.epub-sample.overdrive.com

creators

1. • role: Author
   • fileAs: Stamper, Kory
   • name: Kory Stamper
2. • role: Narrator
   • fileAs: Stamper, Kory
   • name: Kory Stamper

imprint

Random House Audio

publishDate

2017-03-14T00:00:00-04:00

edition

Unabridged

isOwnedByCollections

True

title

Word by Word

fullDescription

Do you have strong feelings about the word “irregardless”? Have you ever tried to define the word “is”? Brimming with intelligence and personality, this vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made is a must-read for word mavens.
Many of us take dictionaries for granted, and few may realize that the process of writing dictionaries is, in fact, as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define, how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. And along the way, she reveals little-known surprises—for example, the fact that “OMG” was first used in a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917.
Word by Word brings to life the hallowed halls (and highly idiosyncratic cubicles) of Merriam-Webster, a startlingly rich world inhabited by quirky and erudite individuals who quietly shape the way we communicate. Certain to be a delight for all lovers of words, Stamper’s debut will make you laugh as much as it makes you appreciate the wonderful complexities and eccentricities of the English language.

reviews

1. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content: Lexicographer Kory Stamper has always loved words. After struggles with organic chemistry steered her from a medical career, she joined the Merriam-Webster company in Massachusetts. In her book, she takes listeners on a verbal tour of her office and the work that goes into creating dictionaries. She narrates with a delight and fascination with language. Showing wry, self-mocking humor, she cheerfully discusses her lack of social skills and which letters of the alphabet have the most words. She's a "real-world" person who pragmatically takes on definitions relating to sex and profanity. If it's in the dictionary, Stamper's interested--and interesting. Her thoughts on topics such as the many ways the word "running" is used in English are entertaining and informative. J.A.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from December 5, 2016
     For those who love language, this debut from Stamper, a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, will be a delectable feast. Stamper, who also produces the dictionary’s “Ask the Editor” video series, has drawn up a witty, sly, occasionally profane behind-the-scenes tour aimed at deposing the notion of “real and proper English” and replacing it with a genuine appreciation for the glories and frustrations of finding just the right word. Stamper claims to approach her subject irreverently, and she certainly does make fun of both language and those who peddle it for a living. But her teasing is belied by a real devotion to its spirit, if not to the letter of all the stuffy so-called laws. Liberally employing a host of wonderful words—foofaraw, potamologist—she declaims elegantly on the beauty and necessity of dialect, how to evaluate emerging words, and many other topics. Stamper is at her best when entertaining the reader with amusing etymologies, celebrating the contentiousness of grammar, and quoting annoying emails from an opinionated public. If she bogs down occasionally in the swamps of industry jargon, it’s easy to forgive her. As one of her colleagues notes, “Words are stubborn little fuckers.” However, Stamper corrals them to her purpose with such aplomb that readers might just feel like applauding. Agent: Heather Schroder, Compass Talent.

3. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     June 5, 2017
     Stamper narrates the audio edition of her witty look behind the scenes of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, where she is lexicographer. The book explores the messy work of editing a dictionary, covering different aspects of the process, including how words get added, who decides the pronunciation, and the challenges of defining everyday words. Stamper deftly shows the cultural, political, and historical implications that play into parsing the meanings of words, tracking usage, and keeping definitions concise. She playfully incorporates her favorite words—often rare and unusual—into the sentences thorough the book. Hearing her breezily employ words like cacafuego or sprachgefühl in the audio edition takes some getting used to, but her excitement and enthusiasm for her subject easily catches on. The most memorable moments are her wry recountings of the ridiculous efforts it takes to determine what a word means. A Pantheon hardcover.

popularity

881

links

• self:
  • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/6839a7b1-39f4-484b-a901-78d9ab6c9ee8/metadata
  • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json

id

6839a7b1-39f4-484b-a901-78d9ab6c9ee8

starRating

4.1

images

• cover:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img100.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg
• thumbnail:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/1191-1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img200.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover150Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/1191-1/683/9A7/B1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img150.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg
• cover300Wide:
  • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/1191-1/683/9A7/B1/{6839A7B1-39F4-484B-A901-78D9AB6C9EE8}Img400.jpg
  • type: image/jpeg

isPublicPerformanceAllowed

False

languages

1. • code: en
   • name: English

subjects

1. • value: Biography & Autobiography
2. • value: Language Arts
3. • value: Reference
4. • value: Nonfiction

publishDateText

03/14/2017

mediaType

Audiobook

shortDescription

Do you have strong feelings about the word “irregardless”? Have you ever tried to define the word “is”? Brimming with intelligence and personality, this vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made is a must-read for word mavens.
Many of us take dictionaries for granted, and few may realize that the process of writing dictionaries is, in fact, as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define, how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. And along the way, she reveals little-known surprises—for example, the fact that “OMG” was...

sortTitle

Word by Word The Secret Life of Dictionaries

crossRefId

2911144

subtitle

The Secret Life of Dictionaries

publisher

Books on Tape

bisacCodes

1. • code: BIO026000
   • description: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Memoirs
2. • code: LAN029000
   • description: Language Arts & Disciplines / Lexicography
3. • code: REF008000
   • description: Reference / Dictionaries