2021-10-06
17 分钟Our job
as lexicographers is to kind of track the English language and all its glories and warts and its foibles and all that.
And it is really a lovely thing to do because it's endlessly entertaining.
The spelling AX really just had a few good years in the late 20th century.
Coming up on Word Matters, a show for those who have an axe to grind about lecterns and podiums.
I'm Emily Brewster,
and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.
On each episode, Merriam-Webster editors Amon Shea, Peter Sakalowski,
and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary's vantage point.
Whether you use it for chopping or throwing, we're curious.
Does your axe have an E at the end or not?
The answer might depend on when you started writing the word.
The dominant spelling isn't what it always was.
Next up, I'll take a whack at the story of the spellings of axe.
So there's a household tool.
It's an outdoor tool called an axe, right?
Long-handled heavy metal blade.
You can spell it A-X or A-X-E.
Peter and Ammon, how do you each spell this word?
It depends on how generous the e-gods have been that month.