The Oxford English Dictionary Asks Teens To Explain Current Slang Critical Linking, September 21

The Oxford English Dictionary Asks Teens To Explain Current Slang Critical Linking, September 21 Sponsored by Libby, the one-tap reading app from your library and OverDrive The venerable Oxford English Dictionary has launched an appeal to teenagers, hoping they can help it get to grips with slippery teenage slang such as “hench” and “dank”. Citing its aim to “record all distinctive words that shape the language, old and new, formal and informal”, the OED said that slang terms were “always challenging” for dictionary editors to track. Young people’s language today is “particularly elusive”, because terms change rapidly and communication methods such as WhatsApp and Snapchat have made it more difficult to monitor the changing vocabulary. Calling all kids and teens! Ian Buruma, under fire for publishing an essay by a disgraced ex-Canadian radio star, is no longer the editor of The New York Review of Books. Buruma had been on the defensive since last week, when the Review’s Oct. 11 issue was published with the theme, “The Fall of Men.” It featured a piece by Jian Ghomeshi, a former CBC radio personality ousted after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. Ghomeshi’s piece enraged many, particularly women, and Buruma was scorned for allowing the venerable publication to give Ghomeshi’s views a platform. Welp. On Wednesday, Barnes Noble opened one of its prototype bookstores in Columbia, Md. The store, which is latest in a series of prototype locations, is 17,000 sq.-ft., down from a typical footprint of 26,000 sq.-ft. It will stock 35,000 titles and features contemporary design touches, including warm-hued oak book shelves, and USB and electricity ports at tables in the café area. At the center of the store are two large “book theaters” which offer customers a 360-degree, in-the-round browsing experience. BN plans to open five more prototypes before finalizing a concept in 12-18 months. Sign up to Today In Books to receive  daily news and miscellany from the world of books.