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1、TheOxfordDictionaryofNewWords:ApopularguidetowordsinthenewsPREFACEPrefaceThisisthefirstdictionaryentirelydevotedtonewwordsandmeaningstohavebeenpublishedbytheOxfordUniversityPress.ItfollowsinthetraditionoftheSupplementtotheOxfordEnglishDictionaryinattemptingtorecordthehistoryofsomerecentaddi
2、tionstothelanguage,but,unliketheSupplement,itisnecessarilyveryselectiveinthewords,phrases,andmeaningswhosestoriesitsetsouttotellanditstandsasanindependentwork,unrelated(exceptintheresourcesitdrawsupon)totheOxfordEnglishDictionary.TheaimoftheOxfordDictionaryofNewWordsistoprovideaninformative
3、andreadableguidetoabouttwothousandhigh-profilewordsandphraseswhichhavebeeninthenewsduringthepastdecade;ratherthansimplydefiningthesewords(asdictionariesofnewwordshavetendedtodointhepast),italsoexplainstheirderivationandtheeventswhichbroughtthemtoprominence,illustratedbyexamplesoftheiruseinj
4、ournalismandfiction.Inordertodothis,itdrawsonthepublishedandunpublishedresourcesoftheOxfordEnglishDictionary,theresearchthatisroutinelycarriedoutinpreparingnewentriesforthatwork,andtheword-filesanddatabasesoftheOxfordDictionaryDepartment.Whatisanewword?This,ofcourse,isaquestionwhichcannever
5、beansweredsatisfactorily,anymorethanonecananswerthequestion"Howlongisapieceofstring?"Itisacommonplacetopointoutthatthelanguageisaconstantlychangingresource,growinginsomeareasandshrinkinginothersfromdaytoday.Thebestonecanhopetodoinabookofthiskindistotakeasnapshotofthewordsandsenseswhichseemt
6、ocharacterizeourageandwhichareaderinfiftyorahundredyears'timemightbeunabletounderstandfully(evenifthesewordswereenteredinstandarddictionaries)withoutamoreexpansiveexplanationoftheirsocial,political,orculturalcontext.Forthepurposesofthisdictionary,anewwordisanyword,phrase,ormeaningthatcamein
7、topopularuseinEnglishorenjoyedavogueduringtheeightiesandearlynineties.Itisabookwhichthereforenecessarilydealswithpassingfashions:most,althoughprobablynotall,ofthewordsandsensesdefinedherewilleventuallyfindtheirwayintothecompletehistoryofthelanguageprovid