What's in a word, and what's in a dictionary?

How would you describe the meanings of everyday English words such as rose, aunt, or giggle? You have probably come across words in one language that have several translations in another – how can that be? How do dictionaries define words? What about idioms such as spill the beans? How do children (or adults!) learn meanings of words without looking them up in dictionaries? Our language activity, run by members of the department of Linguistics and English Language at the University of Manchester, centres around the description of meanings of everyday words and idiomatic phrases. We will use dictionaries from the library to prompt questions about the best way to define meanings. You will have the opportunity to teach others about the meanings of words from your home languages, and even write your own dictionary entries.

Presented by the Linguistic Diversity Collective and Creative Manchester as part of the Manchester City of Literature Festival of Libraries 2024.

Register:

This event is free and open to anyone. If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend, we ask that you update your registration status.

Accessibility:

Please see The Portico's page on accessibility: https://www.theportico.org.uk/accessibility

Connect with Creative Manchester:

Creative Manchester is an interdisciplinary research platform based at The University of Manchester. The platform champions research in creativity and creative practice, bringing together research communities with external stakeholders to explore new research areas and address strategic opportunities. Please visit the website for more information about Creative Manchester.

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Connect with the Linguistic Diversity Collective:

The Linguistic Diversity Collective (LDC) is a group of academics in the Departments of Linguistics and English Language and Modern Languages and Cultures who research and champion linguistic diversity both locally and globally. Please visit the LDC website to find out more information. You can also connect with LDC on Twitter and Facebook.

Host or Publisher Creative Manchester