Lexicon Valley: Peter Sokolowski of Merriam-Webster, Erin McKean of Wordnik, Katherine Martin of Oxford, and Jane Solomon of Dictionary.com on the Word of the Year.

Lexicon Valley: Lexicographers Explain Their Words of the Year

Lexicon Valley: Lexicographers Explain Their Words of the Year

Slate
Lexicon Valley
A show about the mysteries of English.
Dec. 29 2014 11:29 AM

From Vape to Culture to Exposure, Lexicographers Explain Their Words of the Year

Editors at Merriam-Webster, Oxford University Press, Dictionary.com, and Wordnik.com discuss the rationale behind electing a single word for 2014.

Lexicon Valley has moved! Find new episodes here.

Vape
Verb, to inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Listen to Lexicon Valley Episode No. 50: Exposure to Vape Culture

Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab

Merriam-Webster chose culture, Oxford selected vape, and Dictionary.com went with exposure. So how did three esteemed reference works end up with three very different Words of the Year? And why does Erin McKean of Wordnik.com avoid crowning a WOTY altogether? Listen to Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo interrogate some of America’s leading lexicographers.

You’ll find every Lexicon Valley episode at slate.com/lexiconvalley, or in the player below:

Send your thoughts about the show to lexiconvalley@slate.com.