Oxford English Dictionary set to suffer traditional print demise?
by Steven Mostyn - Aug 30 2010, 11:54
A distinctly digital future. Image: Cofrin Library/Flickr.
Not that progressive versions of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) could be described as page-turning thrillers that cause bookstore queues J. K. Rowling would be proud of, but not having it available in traditional print would be like losing your appendix... you might not use it, but you'd miss it if were gone.
Well, dear dictionary bookworms, prepare to turn your scathing ire towards the Internet and digital publications, because it would appear ye olde Oxford English Dictionary could soon be a thing of the past.
If indications by publisher Oxford University Press are anything to go by, the upcoming third edition of its respected dictionary may ultimately be overtaken by technology and never arrive in a traditional paper format – not least because it's only 28 percent complete (despite being started in 1989) and has at least 10 more years left before it's ready for publication.
“The print dictionary market is just disappearing. It is falling away by tens of percent a year,” Oxford University Press chief executive Nigel Portwood told UK broadsheet The Sunday Times.
Portwood also went on to say he didn't think the third edition would ever be released in a printed format.
However, in responding to Portwood's apparent apathy, a spokesperson for Oxford University Press said that, while demand for online publications is growing, “large numbers of people continue to purchase dictionaries in printed form and we have no plans to stop publishing print dictionaries.”
Conflicting viewpoints aside, the publisher does seemingly favour the Web-based format, not least because it publishes online dictionary revisions several times a year. The latest version is expected before the end of 2010.
It's also worth noting that digital books are becoming increasingly popular alongside the ongoing rise of portable eReader and hybrid eReader devices such as the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook and the Apple iPad tablet computer.
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