National Post, Montreal Gazette - At the dictionary society of North America, words matter 鈥� a lot
When members of the Dictionary Society of North America get together, passions are stirred by everything from 鈥淪amuel Johnson鈥檚 lexicographical domesticity鈥� to 鈥淭he emergence of the hip-hop lexis.鈥� But when words are your business, the work is never ending, even outside the conference room.
During the morning break Thursday, delegates were pleased to find fruit on offer alongside the coffee. 鈥淧eople were so happy with the oranges,鈥� conference organizer Lise Winer, a 香蕉视频 education professor, was told. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not oranges; they鈥檙e Marocs,鈥� was her response. But is Maroc not a trade name?
鈥淚t is, but it has become generic for clementines.鈥� There followed a discussion of whether the proper pronunciation was clemen-tine or clemen-teen (both were judged acceptable) and an exploration of whether clementine and mandarin are synonymous...
