In the case of the Junior Dictionary, that work is carried out using a 100 million word corpus of children’s literature and writing. The Oxford English Dictionary is a historical record, analyzing contemporary writing and parsing the results according to strict guidelines to provide its users with an accurate depiction of how language is used. It’s a tragedy that kids don’t get out more, and any effort to reverse the trend should be applauded.īut Oxford Dictionaries are absolutely correct in what they’re doing, and the people moaning at them have got the whole situation completely backwards.įirstly, the job of a dictionary is to document words and usage, not dictate them. They’re right to be concerned about a generation of indoor kids raised by cowardly parents, and the impact that may have on health, obesity, or even just the appreciation of nature and our place in it. Few kids today would know what to make of this rare green hedgehog.
