Wordwatching
Alex Horne loves words. He loves them so much, in fact, that he’s decided to invent his own and get them into the dictionary. But, as Alex discovers, gaining entry into the official lexicon takes more than just a gentle word in the ear of the editor. Evidence is required – Alex needs proof that his words are being spoken by more people than just him and his mum. He needs what the dictionary authorities call a ‘corpus’ of examples, hard data showing that his new words are in widespread and long-term usage. So a corpus he resolves to create, no matter what obstacles he might meet on the way. This is the epic and ridiculous story of one man’s struggle to break into the dictionary. From covert word-dropping on Countdown to wilfully misinforming schoolchildren, Alex tries it all in his quest for dictionary-based immortality. Does he succeed? Are you already using one of Alex’s words without realising it? You won’t regret spending your hard-earned honk on this hugely entertaining book.
If you have read this book, you might like to go here to find out more. And if you, or someone you know, has invented a word please do let me know. Right away. Thank you.
Here’s an early review from The Sun:
Comedian and writer Alex embarks upon a quest to make up his own words and get them into the dictionary. He discovers pretty quickly this is easier said than done. There’s more to it than just thinking up a word that sounds good, you actually need evidence that people are using your nouns, adjectives or verbs. He needs a “corpus” of examples according to the authorities.
So he endeavours to create his corpus and the result is this hilarious story of a man’s adventures into the world of words. Funny, if slightly “out there”.
And here’s one from The List:
Alex Horne is a true logophile. He’s a lover of words, especially rare words, like ‘logophile’, that seldom make it into dictionaries. Or ‘bollo’, ‘pratdigger’ and ‘mental safari’, his own recent coinages that the comedian has been trying to propel into common usage by any (borderline illegal) means, posterity in the OED his ultimate goal. Like Dave Gorman, Horne’s various comedy projects on Latin, birdwatching and trying to meet all the world’s nationalities, have begun to beget and cross-pollinate each other, and he’s used every publicity platform available to him to plant his wordseeds including, it transpires, The List.
Notwithstanding the entertaining finale of his Countdown appearance, it’s the amorphous, absorbing qualities of English that impress most, and while this is lightweight compared to Melvyn Bragg and Bill Bryson’s popular tomes on language, there’s an enjoyable audacity to Horne’s approach that extends to spreading lies about himself and Natasha Kaplinsky.