Linguist, lexicographer, radio host, public speaker

Want to learn about word-hunting? A call for dictionary participants

I’m looking for a few people who are interested in learning about hunting for words by way of helping out with the Double-Tongued Dictionary.

The task has grown ever larger during the nearly three years the site has been public. There are more places to hunt and more ways to do it. Our traffic continues to mount, too, and ever more people are signing up for the email list and RSS feeds, so the audience is also more demanding.

Basically, you’d help find new and newish words, and new meanings for old words, or any word that is not included in a mainstream dictionary. More details upon inquiry.

It’s simple work, though a bit tedious. It’s also a pretty good introduction to one of the most basic steps of dictionary-making, as well as a good start at making a reader more aware of new language, and of reading differently. Very differently. Holding your face in front of the zeitgeist firehose can be so intense that you have dreams about word-hunting. You may also find that when you empty your pockets at the end of the day that there’s a flurry of paper scraps, each scribbled with a word worth recording.

If you’re interested in regularly helping out, drop me a line with a few notes about who you are and why you’re interested. I’m sorry to say that there’s no pay involved, just thanks and a link on the “About” page.

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Grant Barrett