Question 1
Technically, a lexicographer is a person who writes compiles and edits dictionaries. According to a comprehensive dictionary of English language, lexicographer is "a harmless drudge who compiles lists of words." (Kaye 129). Therefore, the creators of the Urban Dictionary qualifies to be called the lexicographers. The creators or the authors of this dictionary are required to provide the correct spelling of the word they are creating, example sentence and its definition. With this light, the creators must make appropriate decisions regarding the authentic or proper form of language. Consequently, these self-appointed creators both standardize and record the language used in their area, and hence resembles the work of the professional dictionary writers. Their work helps the individuals, especially teens to understand the slang language or the language applied to the contemporary music and online activities. The creator of Urban Dictionary are not professional lexicographers, but they are taking the work of Lexicographer.
Question 2
According to Mr. Pickham, "Dictionaries may be more heavily researched, but the real authority on language and the meaning come from people who speak the language" (Kaufman, Sec. 1). In the case of the crowd-sourced dictionaries such as Urban Dictionary, people enter into their site to look up for unknown words or the words that they have never heard of. As such, the readers or the audience identifies such dictionaries as the valid reference for the emerging language and hence give the creators, at least, type of authority. Contrary to the standard dictionaries that engage usage experts and editing staff, the legitimacy of entries in the Urban Dictionary is derived from the public similar to the entries themselves. Readers are allowed to approve the definition of the terms or phrases using the vote of thumbs up or down. Kaufman also provides evidence that the words from the Urban Dictionary are used as a reference in court. Therefore, it is appropriate to give Urban Dictionary authority but less than the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). This is because the definitions of the word on OED are more authentic than in Urban Dictionary since professional lexicographer creates them.
There are sets of vocabulary words and phrase that crowd-sourced dictionary like Urban Dictionary, have more credibility or authority than more established dictionaries like OED. These sets include the slang terms that are new and emerging in less than a day. Compiling and editing such terms to fit in the traditional dictionary would take more time since the meaning of the words is ever changing. For instance, Urban Dictionary defines the phrase "get your nut" as ejaculating. In addition, the term "jack" is defined as "To steal, or take from an unsuspecting person or store." Such words or phrases are among many dictionary items that are given new meanings, especially on the social media. Such dictionaries also update the lexicographers of the traditional dictionaries with the dated evidence of the slang usage.
In my opinion, the crowd-sourced dictionaries are important in the contemporary world. They are essential in a process of growing up for the pre-teens and adults to help them understand each other better. Some of the slang terms such as "chuddie" are heavily used by teens in British to mean "chewing gum". Such terms, despite their usefulness, are not involved in the OED. However, it requires integration of the professional lexicographers to ensure that their reference works have the desirable authority.
Works Cited
Kaufmanmay, Leslie. "Urban Dictionary Finds a Place in the Courtroom - The New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., 20 May 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/business/media/urban-dictionary-finds-a-place-in-the-courtroom.html>.
Kaye, Brian H. A Random Walk Through Fractal Dimensions. 2nd ed. Weinheim [u.a.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Print.
"Urban Dictionary: Jack." Urban Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.
