Friends are Electric

If their purpose was only to provide a snapshot reference of a language at a given time, one could successfully argue that dictionaries have a purpose which sufficiently justifies their existence. This is not the current state of affairs, and the usefulness of dictionaries should be questioned. Perhaps we should even go as far as to question the very existence of them.

Language is an organic thing. It grows and develops naturally through continued use. Words and phrases obviously fall into disuse with time, but the structure of language itself is also subject to change. The way we spell and pronounce words today is very different than the way they were done in the past. Its the natural evolution of language.

Dictionaries function as repositories of `truth’. They are used as the truth on the subject of language. If common usage differs from what is contained between their covers, then common usage has deviated from the greater truth and must be corrected. This acts to prevent the natural growth and development of language as a whole.

Language is one of the most important aspects of culture. Dictionaries and their truths act to restrain the natural development of language, and thus of our culture as a whole.

The next time someone quotes a dictionary to prove a point, you would do well to question their motives and arguments. Agents of regressive forces should be resisted.