>> NOW THE LATEST EDITION OF LIFE WITH MONTY.
MONTE BELMONTE IS VISITING THE SPRINGFIELD OFFICERS OF MERRIAM
WEBSTER, THE DICTIONARY PEOPLE, HE LEARNED HOW THE POLITICAL
CLIMATE IS BRINGING NEW WORDS TO THE LEXICON, AND THAT'S NO
ALTERNATIVE FACT.
>> I AM INSIDE MERRIAM WEBSTER'S HOME BASE HERE IN SPRINGFIELD.
DO I NEED TO WHISPER?
>> YOU DON'T NEED TO WHISPER.
IT'S ONLY A LIBRARY.
>> IT IS QUIET AS A WORK ENVIRONMENT.
WE CAN TALK.
SO THIS BUILDING IS THE HOME OF MERRIAM WEBSTER, THE FAMOUS
DICTIONARY THAT EVERYBODY HEARS ABOUT AND REFERENCES RIGHT HERE
IN SPRINGFIELD.
THIS IS THE ONLY MAIN OFFICE, WE'VE BEEN IN THIS SPOT SINCE
1940 BUT IN THIS CITY SINCE 1831 SO THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGY THAT
YOU USED TO USE TO MAKE THE DICTIONARY.
>> THERE IS A COPPER PLATE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WEIGHS, I WILL GUESS SIX POINTS -- POUNDS.
AND THIS WAS USED TO PRINT THE 1934 EDITION OF OUR UNA BRIDGED
DICTIONARY, AND YOU CAN SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL SHEEP ENGRAVING HERE,
AND THE SHEEP'S HEAD FISH, AND HERE THE SHEEP TICK, ALL
PRESENTED ON THIS PAGE, BUT IF YOU PROJECT THESE SIX POUNDS TO
3,000 PAGES YOU RECOGNIZE HOW HEAVY THIS BOOK MUST HAVE BEEN
IN PRODUCTION, OR WHAT IT MEANT TO PRINT SUCH A BOOK.
BUT ALSO IT WAS THE BEST TECHNOLOGY THAT THERE WAS AT THE
TIME FOR A MASS-PRODUCED HIGH QUALITY DICTIONARY, AND THIS IS
PROBABLY THE LARGEST MASS PRODUCED BOOK IN AMERICAN
HISTORY, WEIGHS 18 POUNDS.
SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF IT.
>> SO THIS IS THE UNA BRIDGED DICTIONARY BUT THE COLLEGIATE,
HARD COVER IS THE BEST-SELLING BOOK IN AMERICAN HISTORY AFTER
THE BIBLE.
>> AND YET MERRIAM WEBSTER DECIDED YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S PUT
IT ONLINE FOR FREE.
THAT WAS A GUT SE DECISION.
IT WAS MADE IN 1996, AND IT WAS A RISK BECAUSE WE DID NOT KNOW
AN IMPORTANT FACT THAT WE NOW KNOW, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT IF
THIS WAS A BEST-SELLER BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE GIVEN THE BOOK AS A
GIFT AT GRADUATION, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR THE
NUMBERS, BUT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T USE IT ALL THE TIME, AND WE
WOULD BE SUNK BECAUSE THE REAL VALUE ONLINE IS TRAFFIC, SO WHAT
WE HAVE FOUND SINCE THE DICTIONARY WENT ONLINE IS 100
PAGE VIEWS A MONTH WHICH IS A LOT OF TRAFFIC, A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHO ARE CURIOUS ABOUT WORDS, A LOT OF PEOPLE LANGUAGE LOVERS,
AND THEY ARE JUST LIKE US.
>> SO SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK THE DICTIONARY THE GONE THE WAY
OF THE PHONE BOOK WHERE WHY WOULD I NEED TO GET A DICTIONARY
WHEN EVERYTHING IN HUMAN KNOWLEDGE IS ONLINE, IT'S
AMAZING TO WALK THROUGH THIS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE DEWY
DECIMAL SYSTEM AND TONS OF OLD BOOKS.
BUT MERRIAM WEBSTER HAS MANAGED ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST YEAR, TO
RISE UP AND TO SHOW THE PROMINENCE AND IMPORTANCE IN THE
DIGITAL AGE.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE WAYS THAT MERRIAM WEBSTER
REMAINS CUTTING EDGE?
>> AND IN CERTAIN WAYS THERE IS TWO ANSWERS, ONE WAY WE'RE NOT
SURPRISED AT ALL THAT PEOPLE LOVE LANGUAGE, THAT PEOPLE PAY
ATTENTION, AND THAT PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THE WORDS THAT ARE
IN THE NEWS.
WE PUT THE DICTIONARY ONLINE IN 1996, FOR THE FIRST TIME WE
COULD SEE WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING UP, AND THAT WAS A BIG CHANGE,
ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO, WE PUT A TREND WATCH ON OUR HOMEPAGE.
WHICH IS USUALLY THE MOST LOOKED UP WORD OF THAT DAY OR WEEK.
SO THAT WE HAVE GOT THIS SORT OF RUNNING COMMENTARY ON THE NEWS
AS THE PRISM OF VOCABULARY.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY OR THE MOST
IMPORTANT KEY WORD, IT'S THE WORD THAT SENT PEOPLE TO THE
DICTIONARY, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO PREDICT WHICH WORD THAT WILL
BE.
WE'RE PEOPLE WITH A PASSION FOR LANGUAGE, AND WE LOVE OUR WORK.
WE LOVE SHARING IT, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT IS HAPPENING.
IT HAS TAKEN OFF BECAUSE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS WE HAVE SEEN
300,000 NEW FOLLOWERS ON THE TWITTER ACCOUNT ALONE.
IT ENLARGES THE SOCIAL CONVERSATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
GOING ON SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT SEXUAL
SEXUALITIES, AND SHE PUT ON TWITTER, PEOPLE KEEP SAYING THEY
DON'T KNOW WHAT GENDER QUEER MEANS AND TWO ASKING WHY WE
ADDED IT TO THE DICTIONARY, SO IT'S FUN AND FUNNY BUT ALSO
SHOWS WITH JUST FACTS, AND INFORMATION, THAT YOU STAND FOR
SOMETHING WITHOUT TAKING A POLITICAL STAND.
>> OR THAT'S RIGHT, SHE'S TALKING ABOUT A NEW WORD ADDED
TO THE DICTIONARY AND OF COURSE LANGUAGE IS CHANGING.
SO THAT'S REALLY THE JOB OF A DICTIONARY-MAKER IS TO KEEP UP.
AND SO ONE NICE WAY TO PROJECT AND INFORM THE PUBLIC THAT WE
ARE ADDING WORDS IS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND KEEPING UP
WITH THE LANGUAGE.
NOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF CHANGE, AND THEY DON'T LIKE
SEEING NEW WORDS ADDED TO THE DICTIONARY BUT THE FACT IS
THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE, AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN OUR JOB TO DO
AND WE MAKE -- WE WOULD RISK IRREV LENS IF WE DID NOT KEEP UP
WITH IT.
WE ARE A BIT BEHIND.
WE ARE REPORTING ON THE LANGUAGE LIKE JOURNALISTS REPORT ON THE
NEWS, THAT MEANS WE DON'T INVENT THE WORDS, WE REPORT ON THE
WORDS THAT ARE FREQUENTLY USED BY THE PUBLIC.
>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE MERRIAM WEBSTER IS INTENTIONALLY TRYING
TO I KNOW WHAT THE CONVERSATION OR ARE YOU A REFLECTION TO GO ON
REGARDLESS OF THIS ERA THAT WE LIVE IN WHERE PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY
FOR FACTS.
>> THERE IS AN INTENSITY OF THIS ATTENTION, AT THE MOMENT FOR
SURE, AND WE'VE BEEN COVERED IN MANY, MANY DIFFERENT KIND OF
OUTLETS.
THE FACT IS WE'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE, WHICH
IS TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT WORDS, SO THAT USED TO GO IN ONE
DIRECTION, WHICH IS WE DO THE RESEARCH, WE READ THE BOOKS, WE
FIND THE WORDS AND PRESENT THE DEFINITION, AND THAT'S TELLING
THE TRUTH.
THERE IS A NEW WAY TO DO THAT, TOO, WHICH IS TO REPORT THE DATA
TO TELL YOU THAT FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE SAW
THE WORD GAFFE AS THE MOST LOOKED UP WORD AFTER THE OSCARS,
AND WE SAW THE WORD RECUSE AS THE MOST LOOKED UP WORD DURING
THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK AND REFUTE AT THE END OF THE WEEK,
SO -- >> JEFF SESSIONS.
>> AND THEN COMEY FROM THE FBI USING REFUTE.
SO THESE ARE WORDS THAT WE REPORT ON AND WE ARE TELLING THE
DATA AND EXPOSING OUR DATA TO THE PUBLIC.
AND IT IS, AS I SAID, CONNECTED TO THE NEWS BUT NOT UNIQUELY
POLITICAL AND OUR INTEREST IS ONLY WITH THE WORD.