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Is crowdsourcing a dictionary a good idea?

We’ve mentioned a few different dictionaries here over the years, including recently the news that Collins are taking a crowdsourced approach to adding new words.

In an interesting article, Deborah Cameron discusses the advantages and disadvantages of crowdsourced dictionaries. An extract:

One objection to this might be that what results from it in practice is less a democracy than a tyranny of nutters. Discussions of language have a particularly strong tendency to be dominated by know-nothings, bigots and cranks. But we might also have questions about the principle. Is the pressure to be less elitist and more interactive improving the overall quality of dictionaries, or is it merely increasing their popular appeal at the expense of their value for serious students of language, literature and culture? (Source: Berfrois)

It’s worth reading the full article, as Cameron makes some valid points. What do you think – do crowdsourced dictionaries have a place?