The Decontextualized Dictionary in the Public Eye

ABSTRACT:The advent of third-party licensing and aggregation has provided larger audiences for dictionary content and new revenue opportunities for publishers, but it also disrupts the notion of the dictionary as a self-contained source of information and introduces new intermediaries between dictionary makers and dictionary users. At the same time, the public statements of dictionary brands in traditional and social media expand the public perception of what the dictionary is. This article describes the "decontextualization" of dictionary content in the current market and presents a qualitative review of recent news stories involving dictionaries to identify themes in how the different scenarios in which dictionary content is used affect reception of dictionaries by the public.