"What Makes a Word 'Real'?" Review

When it comes down to it, who really decides what a word means and how it is used? Is it the people editing the dictionaries, or is it society as a whole? English professor Anne Curzan explores this topic in a TED Talk titled "What makes a word 'real'?". After presenting some examples and even admitting herself that dictionary editors are just ordinary people, she concludes that a word is real because people make it real. If a group of people are using a word and they all have the same meaning for it and understand each other, it is real. It doesn't have to be in the dictionary, it just has to be used by people.

When I was in elementary school, I thought that the dictionary was the absolute truth when it came down to proper English language. I always heard from my teachers, "If you don't know what a word means, look it up in the dictionary.". Dictionaries can definitely be helpful, especially for young students, however it should not define your limits for word usage. They are just prescriptive grammar, and are guidelines for what some people consider proper language. In casual settings, most people rely on descriptive grammar and don't keep tabs on whether or not how they are speaking is completely 'proper' and tend to follow how other people are speaking. If other people can understand what you are saying and can communicate back to you, that's all that matters. That's what language is all about anyway, communicating meaning to others. 

If someone begins using the word "bumphead" (a compound word created from 'bump' and 'head') to describe the condition that comes about from accidentally bumping your head on something, and other people catch on, and soon a whole community is using it, they have just created a word. Creativity is what makes a language more vibrant, and humans have the capacity for endless creativity. Some words over the years stop being used, and more new words are created from the ashes. We don't say 'apricity' anymore when describing the sun's warmth on a cold winter day, however we do say 'selfie' when referring to taking a picture of oneself. Overall, watching the video sort of gave me this sense of power because when it comes down to it, we all are in charge of giving words meaning, not just the lexicographers.