Dictionaries as Authorities: Can They and Should They?

ABSTRACT:This forum presents the keynote session at the 23rd Biennial Meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America on June 4, 2021, consisting of addresses by Kory Stamper and Bryan Garner bookended by an introduction and discussion facilitated by Lane Greene. Not unusually for 2021, but unusually for the DSNA, the meeting took place entirely online. Stamper and Garner's talks concerned lexicographers' responsibilities and limitations with respect to the question of dictionary authority and often reflected on the historical and changing relationships between dictionary editors and audiences. A lightly edited transcript of the discussion that followed the talks is included here. A bibliography of non-dictionary works cited during the session appears at the end of this forum.