The extraordinary thing about new words is that probably only about one per cent of them are new. Most are old words revived and adapted. Susie Dent Read Quote
If a term becomes too popular, its irritant value is ramped up. The impulse is then to replace it with something else. Susie Dent Read Quote
I work with the Oxford Dictionary databases, which sounds really boring, but they’re actually fascinating as they show you how current words are being used. Susie Dent Read Quote
Language is essentially tribal, so jargon can actually be a really good thing because it unites people. Susie Dent Read Quote
Almost half the adult population finds discussing the subject of money difficult. Slang words help us to navigate these conversations by making us feel more comfortable and confident. Susie Dent Read Quote
Linguistic supersizing is on the increase, and it may show the influence of advertising-speak and corporate jargon on language, in which everything needs to be hyped to get noticed. It means that some of our greatest words are losing their power. Susie Dent Read Quote
I remember as a child of five or six lying in the bath marvelling at the different languages displayed on the shampoo bottles around me. From that moment on it was always words not numbers that held a fascination for me. Susie Dent Read Quote
Slang moves on so fast that most new words disappear soon after they are coined. But there is always something that sticks behind. Susie Dent Read Quote
One of the joys of language is its constant evolution, and a lexicographer’s job is both to track new words and to reassess those from the past. Susie Dent Read Quote
