How to get a word added to the dictionary - Ilan Stavans

翻译人员: Yu Xie 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

“Dictionary:” noun, “a malevolent literary device

“词典”：名词， “一种恶意的文学手段

for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic.”

用以限制语言的发展， 并让其变得困难死板。”

“Lexicographer:” noun, “a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge.”

“词典编纂者”：名词， “一位词典的作者，一位无害的苦力。”

While the concept of a dictionary dates back to ancient civilizations,

词典的概念可追溯至古文明时期，

the first English dictionary was published by Robert Cawdrey in 1604.

但直到 1604 年，罗伯特 · 考德雷 (Robert Cawdrey) 第一本英语词典才出版面世。

In the centuries that followed,

接下来的几个世纪，

many more dictionaries were written by individual authors

越来越多的词典由独立作者

who chose what to include or exclude.

自行删选、编撰完成。

They not only defined words, they openly showcased their creators’ opinions—

他们不仅定义单词， 同时也展示自己作为创造者的想法——

like Ambrose Bierce’s definition of “dictionary”

比如上述安布罗斯 · 比尔斯 （Ambrose Bierce）对“词典”的定义

and Samuel Johnson’s definition of “lexicographer.”

和塞缪尔 · 约翰逊（Samuel Johnson） 对“词典编纂者”的定义。

After their authors deaths, many of these dictionaries quickly became outdated.

在这些词典的作者逝世后， 许多词典很快就过时了。

But one 19th century dictionary had a different fate.

但是一本于 19 世纪诞生的词典 却有着不同的命运。

In 1828, American lawyer and author Noah Webster published

在 1828 年，美国律师兼作家 诺亚 · 韦伯斯特（Noah Webster）出版了

“An American Dictionary of the English Language” with a lofty goal:

“一本美国的英语词典”。

他有着一个崇高的目标： 对英语，给出美国自己的理解版本。

to give the United States its own version of the English language.

He believed that as a new nation,

他相信作为一个新的国家，

the United States needed its own distinct version of English

美国需要拥有 自己的与众不同的英语词典

to assert its independence from Britain.

以维护美国独立于英国的地位。

In his dictionary, Webster sought to describe and officialize

在他的字典里， 韦伯斯特试图描述并官方化

the way Americans spoke.

美国人说话的方式。

Most dictionaries in Webster’s time were prescriptive:

韦伯斯特时期的大多数字典 通常具有规范性：

they dictated how words should be used,

他们规定了应该如何运用这些词语，

rather than documenting the way people actually used language in daily life.

而非记录日常生活中 人们实际是如何使用这些词语的。

When Webster broke this convention and included slang words in his dictionary,

当韦伯斯特打破这一常规， 在自己的字典里加入俚语，

critics accused him of polluting the English language.

批评家们指责他玷污了英语。

But he argued that these words captured local variations of language—

但他反驳到这些单词 捕捉了英语的本土化——

a vital part of what made American English unique.

这是使美式英语独一无二的 一个重要部分。

He also believed spelling rules were unnecessarily complex,

他同时认为拼写规律过分复杂，

and that we should write the way we speak as much as possible.

我们应该尽可能按照口语习惯 进行书写。

Still, Webster’s own opinions influenced the words he included

然而，韦伯斯特的观点 对他本人选入的词语

and the way he defined them.

以及定义方式产生了影响。

He excluded slang words from Black communities

他删去了黑人社区流传的俚语，

because he didn’t consider them proper.

因为他认为这些俚语不合适。

And when he defined “woman,”

他在定义“女人”时，

he added that “women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible.”

他又附上“女人是柔软的， 温和的，可怜的和灵活的”。

By the time of his death, Noah Webster was a household name.

到他逝世的时候， 诺亚 · 韦伯斯特成了一个家喻户晓的名字。

Seeing a lucrative business opportunity,

梅利亚姆兄弟 （George & Charles Merriam）

brothers George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to Webster’s Dictionary.

发现了一个利润丰厚的商机， 买下了韦氏字典的版权。

Together with Webster’s son-in-law, the Merriams made a new, revised edition.

和韦伯斯特的女婿一起， 梅里阿姆家族编撰了一本新的修订版词典。

It was the beginning of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

这就是韦氏词典的开始。 （Merriam-Webster Dictionary）

Today, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary begins to address

如今，韦氏词典开始向着

a contradiction in Webster’s goal:

与韦伯斯特初衷相反的方向发展了：

he wanted to represent an entire nation,

韦伯斯特想要代表整个国家，

but he based his work on just one person’s opinion: his own.

但是他只凭借一个人的观点进行编撰。 他自己的观点。

Since Webster’s death, each new edition of the dictionary has been curated

自韦伯斯特逝世以来， 词典的每一个新版都由语言专家组，

by a group of language experts rather than by a single authority.

而非单一权威，进行编写。

The current criteria for including a word in the dictionary

一个新单词入选词典的标准是

are that it has “widespread, sustained, and meaningful use.”

这个新单词有：“广为流传的， 可持续的以及有意义的用途。”

This clearly includes profanities,

这一标准显然包含了不雅词汇，

which were sometimes excluded from dictionaries in the past.

而这按照过去的标准 有时是要被剔除的。

Racial slurs also meet the criteria for inclusion,

种族歧视的用词也符合纳入标准，

but some argue that including them might legitimize them.

但是一些人认为纳入 这些词语意味着将它们合法化。

Dictionaries don’t just add new words—

词典并不仅仅是加入新词——

they also redefine old words to reflect changing attitudes and usage.

它们也会根据态度与用法的变化 对旧词进行重新定义。

One 1736 dictionary defined “wife” as “a married woman whose will,

一本 1736 年的词典里 把“妻子”定义为

“一位成婚的女人，她的意志， 依据法律的判断，需服从于她丈夫的意志：

in the judgment of the law, is subject to the will of her husband:

for which reason a wife is said to have no will.”

基于这一点， 一位妻子没有个人意志。”

Today, “wife” is defined simply as “a female partner in a marriage.”

如今，“妻子”仅仅被简单定义为 “婚姻中的女性合伙人。”

In 2019, Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was “they.”

在 2019 年，韦氏词典的 年度单词是“他们”。

The word has been in regular use for centuries,

这个单词已经日常使用了好几个世纪，

but has only recently gained a new recognized meaning,

但是直到最近它才有了 一个新的公认含义：

as a pronoun for one person whose gender identity is nonbinary.

代词， 指代一个性别非二元的人。

The question of which words belong in the dictionary impacts all of us—

词典纳入哪些单词 影响着我们所有人——

when our words and definitions are represented, they’re affirmed;

当词语和它们的定义被纳入词典， 它们就被肯定了；

if not, they— and we— are minimized.

如果没有被归入词典， 这些词和我们便被轻视了。

Today, lexicographers have expanded word sourcing

现在，词典编纂者扩大了词语来源，

to include the dictionary’s users: tracking which words are most searched,

例如囊括词典的使用者： 追踪搜索次数最多的用词，

and adding them to the dictionary.

把它们加到词典里。

So, who decides what’s in the dictionary?

那么，谁能决定词典的内容呢？

More than ever before the answer is: we do.

最终的答案是：我们。

All of us shape language every day.

我们所有人 每一天都在对语言进行改造。

When we collectively embrace one word or redefine another,

当我们共同接受一个单词 或者重新定义一个单词，

eventually, those words and meanings are reflected in our dictionaries.

最终，这些词语和定义 都会在我们的字典里得以反应。