Dictionaries

Quotations about Dictionaries

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Using Quotations in a Speech or Text about Dictionaries

As well as keeping your audience engaged, adding quotations to a speech or a text can significantly enhance its impact and effectiveness. Quotations are useful for explaining complex ideas concisely, much in the same way that analogies are used. Additionally, quotations from experts or celebrities can add credibility to your message.

Here are some funny and poignant quotations about dictionaries. If your speech is serious, do not automatically avoid funny quotations as they can often be the most impactful, forcing your audience into the thinking about the hidden analogous message in your selected quotation.

"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." (British actor Peter Ustinov)
"When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth." (Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw)

If you are looking to make a fuller speech about dictionaries, then below this selection of quotations are three funny themes and three serious themes on the topic of dictionaries that might help trigger some ideas for your speech or text.

"I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything." Steven Wright (American comedian, 1955-)

"If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?" Steven Wright (American comedian, 1955-)

"Spellings are made by people. Dictionaries – eventually – reflect popular choices." David Crystal (British linguist, 1941-)

"Dictionary – opinion expressed as truth in alphabetical order." John Ralston Saul (Canadian political philosopher 1947-)

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." Vince Lombardi (American football coach, 1913-1970)

"If you have a big enough dictionary, just about everything is a word." Dave Barry (American author, 1947-)

"Dictionaries are like *watches.*churches.*dogs.* The worst is better than none and the best cannot be expected to go quite true." Samuel Johnson (English lexicographer, 1709-84)

"People are under the impression that dictionaries legislate language. What a dictionary does is keep track of usages over time." Steven Pinker (Canadian-American psychologist, 1954-)

"Facts are not science – as the dictionary is not literature." Martin H. Fischer (German-born American physician and author, 1879-1962)

"We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that 'thousands' has almost passed out of the dictionary." Everett Dirksen (American politician, 1896-1969)

"Big dictionaries are nothing but storerooms with infrequently visited and dusty corners." Richard W. Bailey (American lexicographer, 1939-2011)

"The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order." Jean Cocteau (French dramatist and film director, 1889-1963)

"Short dictionaries should be improved because they are intended for people who actually need help." William Empson (English poet and literary critic, 1906-84)

A bad business, opening dictionaries; a thing I very rarely do. I try to make it a rule never to open my mouth, dictionaries, or hucksters' shops. Flann O'Brien (Irish novelist, 1911-66)

Defining what is unknown in terms of something equally unknown. Flann O'Brien (Irish novelist, 1911-66) describing dictionaries

I've been in Who's Who, and I know what's what, but it'll be the first time I ever made the dictionary. Mae West (American actress, 1892-1980) talking about an inflatable life jacket being named after her

Thinking Template for a Speech or Text on Dictionaries

Below are 3 funny themes and 3 serious themes related to dictionaries. These have been included to help you identify areas to explore.

Funny Themes:

Weird and Wacky Words: The Funniest Entries in the Dictionary
- Share amusing and bizarre words found in the dictionary, highlighting their definitions and how they can add humor to our language.
Mispronunciations and Misdefinitions: Hilarious Dictionary Fails
- Highlight some of the funniest mispronunciations and misdefinitions people have encountered, showcasing the lighter side of learning new words.
Fictional Dictionaries: Humor in Made-Up Words and Definitions
- Explore humorous examples of fictional dictionaries from literature and pop culture, where authors have created their own funny words and definitions.

Serious Themes:

The Evolution of Language: How Dictionaries Reflect Linguistic Change
- Discuss how dictionaries evolve over time to reflect changes in language, including the addition of new words and the shift in meanings of existing words.
The Role of Dictionaries in Education: Enhancing Vocabulary and Literacy
- Address the importance of dictionaries in education, highlighting how they help students and learners enhance their vocabulary and literacy skills.
Digital Dictionaries: The Future of Lexicography
- Explore the transition from print to digital dictionaries, discussing the advantages and challenges of online and app-based lexicography in the modern age.

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