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Who decides what’s in the dictionary? - Ilan Stavans

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While the concept of a dictionary dates back to ancient civilizations, the first English dictionary wasn’t published until 1604. In the centuries that followed, many more dictionaries were written by individual authors who chose what to include or exclude, with most quickly becoming outdated. One 19th century lexicon had a different fate. Ilan Stavans digs into the history of Webster's Dictionary.

Who is in charge of making dictionaries?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Ilan Stavans
  • Director Lisa LaBracio
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Animator Lisa LaBracio
  • Illustrator Tara Sunil Thomas
  • Animation Assistant Natasha Villegas
  • Music Salil Bhayani
  • Sound Designer Amanda P.H. Bennett, cAMP Studio
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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