by Nick Ford

Created on: March 01, 2010   Last Updated: August 12, 2011

English is a dynamic language with a very large vocabulary. Words have entered the English language from a wide variety of sources. They have come from foreign lands, from culture and from technical developments. A lexicography can scarcely keep up with the pace of change. Dictionaries must drop old words to prevent their tones becoming unreadable.

One of the curiosities of English language concerns the sheer number of archaic words that are still recorded in many dictionaries. These words, particularly Scottish words, were collected by Samuel Johnson when he wrote his definitive dictionary in the eighteenth century. It is time for a clean up!

Modern dictionaries need to be practical. They need to be compact so that they can easily fit on a desk. They need to contain the words that the user will look up either to check spelling or meaning. Comments on pronunciation, use, unusual plurals and verb endings are useful.  Thorough entries are preferable to the arcane.Critics might argue the dangers of removing words from the English language. There is an argument that removing words from circulation would restrict our ability to express ourselves and lead to a duller, impoverished literary society. This is a redundant argument. English is a flexible and dynamic language which is continually changing and adapting itself. Most people regard an English dictionary as a snap shop showing usage at a particular time in history. An English dictionary is for guidance. It is not definitive. To be practical lexicographers need to drop archaic words in favour of the new. There is no fear that archaic words will be lost. The vast Oxford English Dictionary project keeps a formal record of old words and dialects.

The English language is growing at a very rapid rate. A vast number of new technical words and acronyms are entering circulation. The language is fragmenting into subdivisions. The phrases Indian English, American English, West  Indian English and Queen’s English come to mind. Sixty years ago, there was a requirement that the Queen’s English should be formalised and emulated. This is not true today. A lexicographer must drop archaic rarely used words to make room for the new.

A lexicographer’s task is not an easy one. He has to decide when a word has sufficient circulation and respectability to be formally recorded in a dictionary. He also has to decide when a word has lost currency and is used so infrequently that it ought to be dropped. Provided that these tasks are handled responsibly archaic words should be dropped from the dictionary.

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