Reddit reviews Language Myths

/u/The_Messiah is absolutely correct. I studied sociolinguistics is grad school (now my hearing is rubbish so it's no longer a career option). Many, or even most, people think the dictionary is a book which gives the language a guide to 'correct' words or 'correct' grammar or usage. The thinking seems to be that if it isn't in the dictionary but exists in usage, the word somehow isn't 'correct'. And then when the dictionary updates (see the literally kerfuffle), people get all upset that these 'incorrect' words and usages are being let in - as if the Oxford dictionary dictates what words should and should not exist and how words should and shouldn't be used.

I'm sorry to tell you prescriptivists this, but that's not actually what a dictionary does. 'Correct' usage or existence isn't determined by the dictionary. The existence or usage of a word - ANY WORD - is whether it is used, and how it is used. Language evolves all the time. If we use the word 'twerking' to describe that frightening butt grinding dance that Miley Cyrus did at the VMAs while sticking out her alarmingly large tongue, then that's what the word 'twerking' describes. And you know what's awesome about that? We have ONE WORD that perfectly conjures up the same image in your mind that my long explanation did. See how handy language is? Dictionaries cannot ever determine 'correct' usage. How would that work? Would they get every English speaker in Earth to vote? The impractical nature of that is why a dictionary's job is to describe how words are used, not to dictate.

My advice is to relax and stop looking to the dictionary to tell you what's 'correct' and what isn't. Maybe read this Stephen Pinker article. Language is beautifully complex and the fact that we have the ability to make up new words and add to our personal lexicon is mind-blowingly awesome. If you're curious about why linguists don't think English is 'going to the dogs', I really recommend Language Myths and I promise it's not full of linguistic jargon about isoglosses and whatnot. :)

I don't have much to add to /u/rusoved's comment beyond if you want further reading, check out the book Language Myths, available here. The two applicable chapters are "Italian is Beautiful and German is Ugly" and "They Speak Really Bad English Down South and in New York City". The basic gist of both chapters are the same: Our perceptions of accents are colored by our perceptions of the people (we think) speak those accents. Southerns are "stupid" and "friendly", so we say Southern accents sound "stupid" (but also "friendly"!). Most of the media representations we run into in the United States of Germans are of Nazis, and we have stereotypes of German efficiency, so we say that German sounds "harsh" and "mean" and "angry" and "clipped".