OED crowdsourcing redux

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The editors of the Oxford English Dictionary want your help in tracing the history of particular English words and phrases.

What’s old is new again. In 1859, the British Philological Society launched an appeal to the British and American public “to assist in collecting the raw materials for the work, these materials consisting of quotations illustrating the use of English words by all writers of all ages and in all senses, each quotation being made on a uniform plan on a half-sheet of notepaper, that they might in due course be arranged and classified alphabetically and by meanings.” The society’s goal was to create a new dictionary “worthy of the English Language and of the present state of Philological Science.” (The Surgeon of Crowthorne, Simon Winchester, 1998)

The result, after 50 years of toil and tens of thousands of quotation slips? The Oxford English Dictionary.

The philologists and lexicographers are at it again. In October 2012, the OED launched “a major online initiative that involves the public in tracing the history of English words.” This time, however, the public is being asked to submit contributions electronically, to OED appeals, rather than on half-sheets of notepaper.

Currently, the OED is looking for help with tracing the history of the following words:

Watch the video of OED’s appeal for contributions to FAQ.

Video © Oxford English Dictionary.

Photo, “Yellow Umbrella,” by solidether. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

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Bookshelf: Mini Book Reviews

Three- to five-word book reviews of Christmas-gift-worthy books.

Juan de Fuca’s Strait: Voyages in the Waterway of Forgotten Dreams, Barry Gough, 2012.
Mariners. Myths. Mystery.

The First World War: Volume I: To Arms, Hew Strachan, 2001.
Monumental. Might. Mayhem.

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, Anne Fadiman, 1998.
Personal. Pleasures. Passions.

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth (CBC Massey Lecture series), Margaret Atwood, 2008.
Timely. Thought-provoking. Treasure trove.

Photo by John Hannah.

An Essay on Typography, Eric Gill, 1936.
Craftsmanship. Common sense. Composition.

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, 1951.
Disturbing. Dark. Dystopian.

The Canadian Press Stylebook, 16th Edition, Patti Tasko, ed., 2010.
Policies. Procedures. Packaging. Pointers. Pitfalls.

Lord Peter: A Collection of All the Lord Peter Wimsey Stories, Dorothy L. Sayers, 1972.
Period piece. Peerage. Police. Pursuit. Proof.

The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt, 2011.
Bizarre. Brawls. Bloodshed.

The Keeper of Lost Causes, Jussi Adler-Olsen, 2011.
Denmark. Detection. Department Q.

Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel, 2012.
Reformation. Rogues. Royals. Retribution. Redux.

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Macmillan stops presses

Have you heard? Starting next year, Macmillan’s range of dictionaries will only be available online, following a digital-only trend established by the Encyclopædia Britannica and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

In “Stop the presses—the end of the printed dictionary,” editor-in-chief Michael Rundell writes: “the digital medium is the best platform for a dictionary. One of its advantages is that we can now provide all kinds of supplementary resources—like this blog. The blog covers a huge range of issues, from language change and words in the news, via innovations in language technology or unexpected shifts in grammar, to ideas for teaching English and guidance on common errors.” Rundell also counts audio pronunciations and always being up to date as benefits of going digital.

Read the complete post, or watch the video that appears at the bottom of this page, along with its associated comments (preview: some people aren’t happy).

So. Macmillan’s range of dictionaries are going exclusively digital; Encyclopædia Britannica has gone exclusively digital; the Canadian Oxford Dictionary has gone exclusively digital. Could the venerable Oxford English Dictionary—still available in print—be far behind?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j4o9_SKOYc&w=560&h=315]

© Macmillan.

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EVENT LISTINGS: May 2013

Do you have an event planned (or know of one) that you’d like to appear in these listings? Send us the details.

May 11, 2013: Editing Workshop … For Writers Too

This workshop will also be held June 8, 2013, on Salt Spring Island; July 13, 2013, in Nanaimo; and August 17, 2013, on Salt Spring Island.

This summer, editor Cheryl Cohen will be offering four sessions of her hands-on editing workshop, which she describes as an “intensive, fun encounter.” Topics will include: substantive editing; copy editing; proofreading; the editor–writer relationship; and tips on how to become a professional editor. Each participant will receive an 18-page handout.

About the instructor: Cheryl Cohen is an experienced freelance editor who has worked on many high-profile books, including Miriam Toews’ widely read novel A Complicated Kindness, which won the 2004 Governor General’s Award for English Fiction. Cheryl spoke about the state of the publishing industry—and how writers should adapt—at the Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island (PEAVI) May 13, 2013, meeting.

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May 13, 2013: PEAVI meeting: How Bright is the Future of Editing?

Editor Cheryl Cohen will be talking about the state of the publishing industry—and how writers should adapt—at the Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island (PEAVI) May 13, 2013, meeting. Says Cheryl: “The traditional book publishing industry is in chaos; newspapers are in chaos; an increasing number of authors are wading into self-publishing. The world as editors knew it is changing fast, which means this might be the perfect time for editors to reinvent themselves too.”

About the speaker: Cheryl Cohen is an experienced freelance editor who has worked on many high-profile books, including Miriam Toews’ widely read novel A Complicated Kindness, which won the 2004 Governor General’s Award for English Fiction. She is also a singer/songwriter and former senior editor for The Globe and Mail.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Location: Church of Truth, 111 Superior Street, Victoria
  • Registration: at the door

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May 15, 2013: EAC-BC elections, book exchange, and networking event

Note: because there will be a wine and cheese social at the May meeting, there will be no Editors’ Pub Night beforehand; these popular pre-meeting gatherings at Elephant & Castle will resume in the fall.

The theme for EAC-BC’s May 15, 2013, meeting is “Elect. Exchange. Enjoy.” Elect: May is election month in BC, doubly so for editors. This meeting will be your chance to vote for the 2013–2014 branch executive. If you’ve thought about getting involved, consider standing for an executive position yourself or joining one of the many branch committees. Elections cheat sheet. Exchange: more shades of grey than you know what to do with? Bring along any books you’re finished with and swap them for new (to you) titles at the book-exchange table. It’s a great chance to stock up on summer reading. Enjoy: this is our last meeting until September 2013, so indulge in wine and cheese, toast a successful season, and catch up with fellow editors.

Bonus: enter the draw at the meeting for free admission to one of EAC-BC’s professional development seminars.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00 (elections start at 19h30)
  • Cost: free for EAC members, non-members, and students
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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EVENT LISTINGS: April 2013

Do you have an event planned (or know of one) that you’d like to appear in these listings? Send us the details.

April 7, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Grammar Boot Camp

Want to flex your grammar (and punctuation and usage) muscles? This intensive seminar will put you through the paces. Focusing on high-level errors—the ones that make it past editors and proofreaders and into print—this one-day session will help you identify and fix the most puzzling mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and usage. We’ll look at errors from a range of publications, discuss up-to-date approaches to correcting them, and run through a series of challenging editing exercises. Feel free to bring along any difficult examples you’ve encountered on the job.

About the instructor: Frances Peck has been working with words for more than two decades, whether writing them, editing them, or teaching people about them. Author of Peck’s English Pointers (available through the Language Portal of Canada) and a co-author of the popular HyperGrammar website, she teaches editing at Douglas College and Simon Fraser University. She is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates and a member of the EAC-BC executive.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $100 for EAC members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $120); $160 for non-members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $180)
  • Location: University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Road), Victoria
  • Registration: closes March 29, 2013, at 17h00

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April 13, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: PubPro 2013: An Unconference for Managing Editors and Publication Production Specialists

Publishers often meet to discuss sales, marketing, and digital strategies, but very rarely do the people who actually make the publications happen get to gather and brain share. This EAC-BC seminar will offer managing editors and production specialists the opportunity to meet others in their role and learn from one another.

Whether you’re interested in finding out how others approach freelancer recruitment, training, and scheduling or have a success story to share about streamlining workflow or project management, PubPro will be your forum to air your production-related questions and triumphs. FAQs. PubPro 2013: Behind the scenes with Iva Cheung.

  • Time: 9h30–16h30 (check-in starts at 9h15)
  • Cost (includes lunch): $40 for EAC members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $55); $50 for non-members who register by March 22, 2013 (after: $65)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration (closes at midnight, April 5, 2013)
  • Event hashtag: #PubPro2013

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April 17, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: The Good, the Bad, and the “That Could Have Gone Better” about Subcontracting

Subcontracting is a great way to farm out work when you’ve got too much due at the same time. For new editors, it’s a chance to get started in the business. How do you venture into subcontracting, and what pleasures and pitfalls might you encounter along the way? Join three editors—Patricia Anderson, Amelia Gilliland, and Eve Rickert—for a lively panel discussion of what works and what doesn’t, no matter which side of the subcontract you’re on. Moderated by Frances Peck, EAC-BC programs co-chair, the panel will end with general Q&A, so bring along those questions you’ve always meant to ask.

About the panellists: Patricia Anderson, Ph.D., is a cultural history and publishing studies scholar, book author, and editor of fiction and nonfiction. Her editing and literary consulting business, Helping You Get Published, has been online for 14 years, during which time she has hired a number of editorial subcontractors. She is writing a guide to successful publication for conventional and self-publishing book authors that will include a chapter on the importance of professional editing.

Amelia Gilliland has been editing fiction and nonfiction books for seven years. She has an editing certificate from SFU’s Writing and Publishing Program, worked in-house at Douglas & McIntyre and Arsenal Pulp Press, and subcontracts for West Coast Editorial Associates. An experienced substantive editor, copy editor, and proofreader, she has focused on editing fiction for the past few years. She frequently works with self-publishing authors.

A certified stylistic editor, copy editor, and proofreader with 10 years of experience, Eve Rickert owns Talk Science to Me Communications Inc. Her firm provides à la carte services such as writing, editing, indexing, illustration, design, and Web development, as well as teams to complete projects from start to finish. The firm relies on freelance associates to provide clients with the skills they need at a price they can afford.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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EVENT LISTINGS: March 2013

Do you have an event planned (or know of one) that you’d like to appear in these listings? Send us the details.

March 13, 2013: Canadian Authors Association: Crossing Boundaries—Writing in Different Genres

Save the date—the Canadian Authors Association (CAA) will be hosting a panel discussion about writing in different genres: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Panelists will include Ian Weir (Daniel O’Thunder, 2009), Eileen Cook (The Almost Truth, 2012), and Margaret Anne Hume (Just Mary: The Life of Mary Evelyn Grannan, 2006). The discussion will be moderated by Dennis E. Bolen, recipient of the Writers International Network Canada’s 2013 Distinguished Writer Award.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for CAA members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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March 16, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Ethics for Editors

To edit and publish language is to mediate knowledge and culture—quite the responsibility! In this seminar, you will explore ethical questions for editors, from the gravity-defying act of juggling the needs of writers, advertisers, and readers, to the sensitive diplomatic mission of pointing out a racist or sexist passage, to the daredevil feat of deciding just how creative a piece of creative non-fiction can be. By working through exercises and sharing experiences, you will find new entrances to the questions and new ideas for solutions.

About the instructor: Mary Schendlinger has worked as a writer, editor, and publisher for 42 years. She is senior editor of Geist magazine, a member of the SFU Master of Publishing faculty, and an instructor in the UBC Creative Writing Program.

  • Time: 13h00–16h30
  • Cost: $60 for EAC members who register by March 1, 2013 (after: $70); $90 for non-members who register by March 1, 2013 (after: $100)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration: closes March 8, 2013, at 17h00

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March 20, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: New Plain Language Certificate

Calling all plain language advocates! Come to our March meeting and get the scoop on a new certificate program in the works for plain language practitioners.

Join Katherine McManus, the only Canadian member of the International Consortium for Clear Communication (IC Clear), as she runs through the program’s goals and time lines and discusses what the new certificate will mean for editors. You’ll also hear the latest on this year’s PLAIN (Plain Language Association International) conference, coming to Vancouver October 10–13, 2103, where IC Clear hopes to launch its first pilot course.

About the speaker: Katherine McManus is director of the Writing and Communications Program at Simon Fraser University. She specializes in adult learning and was recruited for the plain language certificate project because of her background in blended and online education.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00 (speaker starts at 19h30)
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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EVENT LISTINGS: February 2013

Do you have an event planned (or know of one) that you’d like to appear in these listings? Send us the details.

February 13, 2013: Canadian Authors Association Open Mic Night

Interested in what Vancouver writers are working on? Check out the popular Canadian Authors Association (CAA) Open Mic Night, where authors will be performing five-minute readings of their published works, ready-to-publish works, and first drafts.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for CAA members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street, Vancouver
  • Registration

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February 20, 2013: EAC-BC meeting: Editing Books in Translation

Whether you’re a current (or would-be) editor of translations, or are simply curious about this intriguing niche, you won’t want to miss our February presentation. Join Iva Cheung, winner of Canada’s most coveted editing award for Cow: A Bovine Biography (translated from German), for an insider’s look at the pleasures and pitfalls of editing books in translation.

Iva will cover some big-picture issues, such as copyright and the all-important editor–translator relationship, as well as the nuts and bolts of working with a translated manuscript, including special problems you may encounter. She’ll also offer tips for finding work as an editor of translations.

About the speaker: An independent publishing consultant, Iva Cheung formerly served as editor and editorial coordinator at D&M Publishers, where translations were among her favourite projects. She is a Certified Professional Editor, winner of the 2011 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence, and author of a much-followed blog about editing and publishing.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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February 23, 2013: EAC-BC seminar: Freelance 101 for Editors: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Whether you’re thinking of taking the plunge into full- or part-time freelancing or are already doing it, this seminar is for you. Learn what to consider before setting up shop, how to find and keep good clients, and some of the common pitfalls and not-so-fun (yet necessary!) aspects of freelancing.

About the instructor: Barbara K. Adamski has been a freelance writer and editor for the better part of a decade. Her recent editing projects include a book on videogame law, several novels, and the bestselling ebook Finding Karla.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $120 for EAC members who register by February 1, 2013 (after: $140); $180 for non-members who register by February 1, 2013 (after: $200)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
  • Registration: closes February 15, 2013, at 17h00

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