On Language 5/5: A dictionary in the palm of your hand
Words easy to grasp with handy dictionary
Chicago Tribune, May 5, 2005
By Nathan Bierma
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Erin McKean’s job is not just to change the dictionary—daunting as that is—but also to change the idea of a dictionary, from a heavy book to a handy tool.
“I want to make a dictionary as easy to use as a pencil,” says McKean, Chicago resident and editor in chief of U.S. dictionaries for Oxford University Press. “Now I can look up something walking down the street. You can have full access to it whenever you want, without having to drag a heavy book down from the shelf. You can look up a word with two fingers.”
That’s because the second edition of the New Oxford American Dictionary (Oxford University Press, $60), which was recently released and produced under McKean’s supervision, can be downloaded onto a PDA or smartphone. It’s the largest dictionary ever to be accessible by hand-held technology.
“I checked five things during dinner last night,” McKean says. “If a question comes up, I have the answer in my pocket.”
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