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The Book Of Word Changes

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BUSINESS STANDARD
Last Updated : Jan 28 2013 | 12:58 AM IST

Is it words that are difficult, or their usage? Depends on your vocabulary

Three facts. First, language changes. In English, at least 15,000 new words have entered the language (not including those from science, computerese, technology, medicine) since the 1950s through the 1980s.

These are not just new and old words that have been revived but those that have been given new functions (like the verb use of the noun and adjective, for instance) and words borrowed from other languages to fill up gaps in English. Hence the need for updates and new dictionaries.

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Second, English is about to take over the world. Close to a billion and a quarter use English. It is the language of the Internet, of air-traffic control, diplomacy, science, commerce, pop culture and the entertainment industry. More people speak English now than ever before. For us, it is the link language between states and a window to the world.

Third, no one dictionary will suffice for all time and for different users of the language. Besides specialised subject dictionaries

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First Published: Jul 27 2002 | 12:00 AM IST

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