Can the Dictionary Keep Up?
Summary
The Nation piece explores Stefan Fatsis’s view of dictionaries as living artifacts that adapt to language use. It traces the historical tension between prescriptive authority and descriptivist updates, highlighting how words enter the dictionary based on usage—from pandemic-era terms to slang—while noting Merriam-Webster’s ongoing effort to reflect current language with editorial rigor. The article concludes that the dictionary remains relevant and argues for a careful balance between tradition and linguistic evolution, with AI’s role in lexicography becoming a point of discussion in related coverage.