TED Talk: Go Ahead, Make Up New Words

Erin McKean

When I was in grade school, I was fascinated with words. We had a Webster’s New American Illustrated Dictionary in our house, and it was common to see me sitting on the floor, reading the dictionary to learn new words.

My parents couldn’t understand my fascination. Why would a nine-year old girl sit inside on a beautiful summer day to read a dictionary? Continue reading TED Talk: Go Ahead, Make Up New Words

TEDxUofM 2014: What Makes a Word “Real”?

Professor Anne Curzan speaking on stage at TEDxUofM 2014

At this year’s TEDxUofM event, University of Michigan Professor Anne Curzan finished out the day with her talk, What Makes a Word “Real”?

Curzan had me (and the audience) laughing and gasping with her discussion of dictionaries, word usage, and how words have changed meaning over time. Continue reading TEDxUofM 2014: What Makes a Word “Real”?