Internet may phase out printed Oxford Dictionary

[KansDem]

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press Writer

It weighs in at more than 130 pounds, but the authoritative guide to the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, may eventually slim down to nothing. Oxford University Press, the publisher, said Sunday so many people prefer to look up words using its online product that it's uncertain whether the 126-year-old dictionary's next edition will be printed on paper at all.

The digital version of the Oxford English Dictionary now gets 2 million hits a month from subscribers, who pay $295 a year for the service in the U.S. In contrast, the current printed edition - a 20-volume, 750-pound ($1,165) set published in 1989 - has sold about 30,000 sets in total.

It's just one more sign that the speed and ease of using Internet reference sites - and their ability to be quickly updated - are phasing out printed reference books. Google and Wikipedia are much more popular research tools than the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and dozens of free online dictionaries offer word meanings at the click of a mouse. Dictionary.com even offers a free iPhone application.

By the time the lexicographers behind the century-old Oxford English Dictionary finish revising and updating its third edition - a gargantuan task that will take a decade or more - publishers doubt there will be a market for the printed form.

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http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/29/2184589/internet-wiping-out-printed-oxford.html">KansasCity.com

[UndertheOcean]

1. I wonder how many words are in the "Teabagging" English Dictionary

[MineralMan]

2. 256.

Teabaggers don't use their thumbs while counting, so they can only work up to the 8th power of 2. Anything more numerous than 256 is referred to as a lot, a whole lot or many.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. People are losing access to these important reference books

As municipalities cut back on library services, will the OED be one of the subscriptions that hits the chopping block? Not all libraries even have the entire set, which will eventually wear out and become obsolete.

[UndertheOcean]

4. Anyway : Is the extinction of bound volumes and the dominion of digitally encoded books a welcome

development ?

It saves trees for sure .

[uncommon]

5. I think it brings class into very clear focus - those who cannot afford

the tech will be at a disadvantage.

When I was in high school, everyone had the library - it was usually within walking distance or you could use the one at school. And we had a crappy set of Encyclopedia Brittanicas. This allowed me to stay competitive academically.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Um...

I think schools will still have access to online versions of dictionaries and encyclopedias.

[uncommon]

7. You think that struggling school systems will subscribe to all the online content

that costs money? Really?

I would be very surprised. Poor schools will not be getting online access to the OED unless someone donates it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. I think there are free versions also online.

dictionary.com, for example.

And wikipedia.

Also, even if they did get the online subscription, wouldn't it be cheaper than buying a printed version?