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Dona asked this question about The Dictionary of Lost Words:
Why did I waste 8 hours of reading just to be hit with very obscene language? Beautiful cover, great story idea completely wasted. I could be reading many authors who do not rely on this shock factor to sell their books. Please could someone have a rating system to let readers know what to expect? I would be so grateful.
Virginia Pulver The author shows us often words are defined by one group in a far different way than by another group. Definitions and usage are influenced by gender,…moreThe author shows us often words are defined by one group in a far different way than by another group. Definitions and usage are influenced by gender, age, social class, etc. Furthermore, the men who dominated the decisions regarding how words would be defined in the dictionary required the support of a quote taken from a published source. In the culture of that era, that clearly excludes a huge number of words that are used among women (and men) of other social classes. I think Williams did a brilliant job of showing us how the nuances of many words were not even considered. The reference to vaginas using a harsh slang word is a good example. Men kind of hijacked the word and made what is really simply a reference to a bodily part, into a heinously vulgar word of derision. Context in defining words is significant. And the bias of only using definitions that resonated with educated men (and ignoring the experience of women from most all classes), is very clear. The ramifications are obvious. Words are not good or bad. We live in a culture where the "privileged" people define things and the rest of the society is basically ignored. This is an excellent book, for so many reasons. - Ginn
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The Dictionary of Lost Words
by Pip Williams
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