Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pop culture language commonly starts as specific to particular groups with shared interests, and is frequently adopted into mainstream vernacular.
In this virtual discussion, OED editors Dr Catherine Sangster and Fiona McPherson, and guest speakers Prof Dr Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, Dr Fraser Dallachy, and Dr Kerstin Richter talked about the language of science fiction, fantasy, gaming, and other specific fandoms, focusing on:
- How and why language that develops in these communities is adopted more widely
- How does the OED monitor these developments, and decide what should (or should not) be recorded
- Interesting examples
Resources mentioned during the event:
- Contributing to the OED:
oed.com/information/using-the-oed/contributing-to-the-oed
- Looking back at Geek Dictionary Corner
oed.com/discover/looking-back-at-geek-dictionary-corner/?tl=true
- The impact of Star Wars on the English language: Star Wars-derived words and constructions in present-day English corpora
degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/lingvan-2023-0029/html?lang=de
For more OED event recordings, please visit:
oed.com/information/using-the-oed/oed-event-recordings
And for our upcoming events, see:
oed.com/information/using-the-oed/upcoming-events
Pop culture language commonly starts as specific to particular groups with shared interests, and is frequently adopted into mainstream vernacular.
In this virtual discussion, OED editors Dr Catherine Sangster and Fiona McPherson, and guest speakers Prof Dr Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, Dr Fraser Dallachy, and Dr Kerstin Richter talked about the language of science fiction, fantasy, gaming, and other specific fandoms, focusing on:
- How and why language that develops in these communities is adopted more widely
- How does the OED monitor these developments, and decide what should (or should not) be recorded
- Interesting examples
Resources mentioned during the event:
- Contributing to the OED:
oed.com/information/using-the-oed/contributing-to-the-oed
- Looking back at Geek Dictionary Corner
oed.com/discover/looking-back-at-geek-dictionary-corner/?tl=true
- The impact of Star Wars on the English language: Star Wars-derived words and constructions in present-day English corpora
degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/lingvan-2023-0029/html?lang=de
For more OED event recordings, please visit:
oed.com/information/using-the-oed/oed-event-recordings
And for our upcoming events, see:
oed.com/information/using-the-oed/upcoming-events
