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London (pte015/16.12.2004/11:15) - British publisher Collins http://www.collins.co.uk has launched an online dictionary that will enable Internet users to debate new words. As the Media Guardian http://www.mediaguardian.co.uk reports, with Collins' new "Living Dictionary", users can suggest new words and argue over whether they should be added to the print version of the dictionary.
"This is a completely new concept which will provide direct contact between the people who compile dictionaries and the end users," said Jeremy Butterfield, editor in chief of Collins Dictionaries. "It allows us to open up the process of suggesting and selecting words."
Users can log on to http://www.collins.co.uk/wordexchange and suggest a new word. They then wait for positive or negative feedback from other dictionary fans. The site has been trialled for the last two weeks. Butterfield compared the Living Dictionary with the online Wikipedia encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia . "We are hoping that people will contribute words which they use in their daily lives, but which have not yet made it into the printed dictionary," he said.
According to Butterfield, of the words submitted thus far, "Arab street", "contrasexual", "cyberathletics", "Ingerland", "manny" and "podcasting" are likely to be included in the next printed version. "Things change very quickly now," he explained. "Words can establish themselves within a month."
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