Slang, sexual terms, insults, names. rascist appropriations?
2007-03-02 04:40:26 · 7 answers · asked by strings 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Language (words) only have the power we give to them. The dictionary is simply a reference book that tells what the word means. Therefore, every word should be in there. The dictionary is not sexual or racist-it is the understanding and emphasis we put on a word that makes it negative or offensive. So the answer to your question is no.
2007-03-02 04:46:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
I could not agree more with Dicky... and Shark... . But I must add that several dictionaries, made early on when dictionaries were not based on research or on data about language use but were rather authoral, contain definitions that are biased and prejudiced. So though dictionaries should be a reference about how language is used, one must be careful as to what extent they really are and remember they are not exhaustive.
2007-03-04 05:10:55 · answer #2 · answered by tense 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A dictionary isn't there to be nice or make us happy - it's there to provide a reference for the meanings we encounter in life - to increase and support knowledge. If we followed the rule of just printing nice things, then no one would ever learn of the horrors of reality, such as the holocaust or apartheid.
We can't just hide things away because they're unsavoury.
2007-03-02 04:49:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
It depends if the dictionary should be used as a function or a reflection of society..
2007-03-02 04:44:35 · answer #4 · answered by pseudoname 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as a foreigner, i was happy such terms were in the dictionary when i was looking for them after first hearing them! you can learn the meaning of a word and its degree of rudeness, it can help you avoid embarrassing situations!! it's up to people to decide whether to use them or not....
2007-03-03 00:44:00 · answer #5 · answered by misspimousse 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yet it also has about 40,000 other words which really should be used more often as vocabulary. I,however, think it's inappropriate when they start putting in "chav speak" that really, does not deserve a place on the page it's written on.
2007-03-02 04:47:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
but it also has equally as many positives....its a list of all the words of our language, dude
2007-03-02 04:46:16 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋