Words of Chinese Origin in the OED: Misinformation and Attestation (2024)

Article Navigation

Volume 37 Issue 2 June 2024
  • < Previous
  • Next >

Journal Article

Get access

Ai Zhong

Fudan University

,

China

Shanghai Maritime University

,

China

zhongai@shmtu.edu.cn

Search for other works by this author on:

Oxford Academic

International Journal of Lexicography, Volume 37, Issue 2, June 2024, Pages 159–176, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/ecad034

Published:

13 February 2024

Search

Close

Search

Advanced Search

Search Menu

Abstract

Recent decades have seen small batches of Chinese loanwords and words from Chinese English entering the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Meanwhile, a muddle of misinformation on the dictionary’s inclusion of certain Chinese-origin words has occurred again and again in various Chinese media forms. The present study examines the extent to which these uninformed news stories are associated with prominent features of the OED. In order to assess the possibility of including the words mentioned in the pieces of misinformation, the study explores the current treatment of Chinese-origin words in the OED and adopts Diamond’s (2016) four criteria for entry, namely evidence of usage, longevity, naturalization, and lexicographical significance. Although the words examined are inadequate in meeting all criteria for inclusion, the misinformed new stories attest to an awareness of Chinese influence on the English lexicon and evidence the reception and reputation of the OED in Chinese media and culture. Moreover, the bits of false news reports expose lexicographers to new knowledge of some prospective candidates for lexicographical inclusion.

© 2024 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.

This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)

Issue Section:

Articles

You do not currently have access to this article.

Download all slides

Sign in

Get help with access

Personal account

  • Sign in with email/username & password
  • Get email alerts
  • Save searches
  • Purchase content
  • Activate your purchase/trial code
  • Add your ORCID iD

Sign in Register

Institutional access

    Sign in through your institution

    Sign in through your institution

  1. Sign in with a library card
  2. Sign in with username/password
  3. Recommend to your librarian

Institutional account management

Sign in as administrator

Get help with access

Institutional access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Sign in through your institution

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

  1. Click Sign in through your institution.
  2. Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
  3. When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
  4. Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Sign in with a library card

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

  1. Click Sign in through society site.
  2. When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
  3. Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

Personal account

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

  • View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
  • View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

Institutional account management

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

Purchase

Subscription prices and ordering for this journal

Purchasing options for books and journals across Oxford Academic

Short-term Access

To purchase short-term access, please sign in to your personal account above.

Don't already have a personal account? Register

Words of Chinese Origin in the OED: Misinformation and Attestation - 24 Hours access

EUR €38.00

GBP £33.00

USD $41.00

Rental

Words of Chinese Origin in the OED: Misinformation and Attestation (4)

This article is also available for rental through DeepDyve.

Advertisem*nt

Citations

Views

116

Altmetric

More metrics information

Metrics

Total Views 116

91 Pageviews

25 PDF Downloads

Since 2/1/2024

Month: Total Views:
February 2024 58
March 2024 42
April 2024 14
May 2024 2

Citations

Powered by Dimensions

Altmetrics

×

Email alerts

Article activity alert

Advance article alerts

New issue alert

Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic

Citing articles via

Google Scholar

  • Latest

  • Most Read

  • Most Cited

Across Commas, Across Semicolons, Across Oceans: Presentation Style and Immigrant Dictionaries
Ioana Galleron and Geoffrey Williams (eds.). 2023. Dictionnaires et réseaux des lexicographes aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. Études réunis par Ioana Galleron et Geoffrey Williams
Zhang Yihua. 2023. A Chinese-English Dictionary of Chinese Folklore and Customs
Anatoly Liberman. 2022. Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms
Print Dictionaries Are Still in Use: A Survey of Source Preferences by Polish Translators

More from Oxford Academic

Arts and Humanities

Lexicography

Linguistics

Books

Journals

Advertisem*nt

Words of Chinese Origin in the OED: Misinformation and Attestation (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Duane Harber

Last Updated:

Views: 6101

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Duane Harber

Birthday: 1999-10-17

Address: Apt. 404 9899 Magnolia Roads, Port Royceville, ID 78186

Phone: +186911129794335

Job: Human Hospitality Planner

Hobby: Listening to music, Orienteering, Knapping, Dance, Mountain biking, Fishing, Pottery

Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.