let's get liseuse recognized as a real word

Nate the great · 09-08-2009, 08:54 PM

The word Liseuse has been used here on MR since 18 February 2008. I think it's time we made a sincere effort to get it recognized as a real word. I have a Wikipedia page started here. I also submitted it to the Urban Dictionary.

I'm going to go see how to submit it to the OED.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-08-2009, 08:57 PM

well that's what i call an inspired initiative nate. nicely done.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-08-2009, 08:59 PM

i should maybe just point out that it is *technically* already a "real word" though.

Nate the great · 09-08-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i should maybe just point out that it is *technically* already a "real word" though.

Not in English it isn't. If it doesnt' show up in any of the dictionaries it's not a word. Anyway, I submitted it by email to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Verencat · 09-08-2009, 09:14 PM

Oh wow Nate! That is a wonderful initiative!

Nate the great · 09-08-2009, 09:27 PM

Urban Dictionary accepted it. OED is going to accept it; they take _anything_. But it's been challenged at Wikipedia. Could someone rewrite the article, please?

wodin · 09-08-2009, 09:30 PM

As I said in the News and Commentary forum, Google's Word Monkey translates it as "Reading Light". That being the case, wouldn't the reading device need to have a backlit screen?

Madam Broshkina · 09-08-2009, 09:51 PM

zelda_pinwheel · 09-08-2009, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madam Broshkina

well what further proof could anyone ask for ?

Dylrob · 09-08-2009, 09:54 PM

*Looks at wiki page*

Ouch, those sharks are fast to the feast.

Nate the great · 09-08-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylrob

*Looks at wiki page*

Ouch, those sharks are fast to the feast.

Yeah, I'm going to see if they'll at least let me have a redirect.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-08-2009, 09:58 PM

nate, i took at look at your definition on wikipedia :

Quote:

Liseuse refers specifically to a hardware device that is used as an ebook reader. is a word created by members of MobileRead Forums, an online community dedicated to ebooks and ebook readers. It is taken from the French word liseur (reader). The primary reason this word was developed was to differentiate the person reading the ebook from the device being read.

it's good, but i would recommend a few changes.

you could mention that "liseuse" is actually a french word which has several definitions. the primary one is a woman who particularly enjoys reading (to differentiate from a "lectrice" which just means a woman engaged in the act of reading, or "lecteur" which is the masculine form of the word).

it has already gained popularity in french to mean "a dedicated reading device" so the word is not actually made up neither originally nor in this use. the neologism does therefore exist, and it's more a question of transitioning to use in english.

you might want to edit your article to mention those two bits of info. for instance, something like this :

Quote:

Liseuse is a french word, used to refer to a dedicated hardware device that is used for reading ebooks. One of its original meanings is "a woman who enjoys reading". It is widely used in french to refer to dedicated reading devices and has been adopted in english as well by members of MobileRead Forums, an online community dedicated to ebooks and ebook readers. The primary reason for its popularity is to differentiate the person reading the ebook from the device being read.

just a suggestion, it can surely be improved, but it's quite late here so i'm not quite up to thinking more about it just now.

it would be easy to find several french language blogs using it in this way, i'm not sure whether that would help the case or not but it might.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-08-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

As I said in the News and Commentary forum, Google's Word Monkey translates it as "Reading Light". That being the case, wouldn't the reading device need to have a backlit screen?

actually, "liseuse" has several definitions in french, one of which is "reading light". it also means a special reading desk, a jacket worn by women for reading in bed (yes, such specialised garments exist !), and a knife for cutting the pages of books (back in the days when they weren't cut when you bought them). it's also widely used in french blogs to mean a reading device, but this is obviously a more recent use of the word.

Nate the great · 09-08-2009, 10:06 PM

I copied your changes into the article, zelda. I also added a link to a French langauge blog that used liseuse correctly.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-08-2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I copied your changes into the article, zelda. I also added a link to a French langauge blog that used liseuse correctly.

nice ! although i don't see a link anywhere ?

09-08-2009, 08:54 PM	#1
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	let's get liseuse recognized as a real word The word Liseuse has been used here on MR since 18 February 2008. I think it's time we made a sincere effort to get it recognized as a real word. I have a Wikipedia page started here. I also submitted it to the Urban Dictionary. I'm going to go see how to submit it to the OED.

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09-08-2009, 08:57 PM	#2
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	well that's what i call an inspired initiative nate. nicely done.

09-08-2009, 08:59 PM	#3
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	i should maybe just point out that it is technically already a "real word" though.

09-08-2009, 09:14 PM	#5
Verencat Wizard Posts: 2,615 Karma: 96491 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Device: xxx	Oh wow Nate! That is a wonderful initiative!

09-08-2009, 09:27 PM	#6
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	Urban Dictionary accepted it. OED is going to accept it; they take _anything_. But it's been challenged at Wikipedia. Could someone rewrite the article, please?

09-08-2009, 09:30 PM	#7
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	As I said in the News and Commentary forum, Google's Word Monkey translates it as "Reading Light". That being the case, wouldn't the reading device need to have a backlit screen?

09-08-2009, 09:51 PM	#8
Madam Broshkina Manic Do Fuse Posts: 2,312 Karma: 3325462 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Sony 500, 505, 350, Kindle 3, DXG, nook, Irex DR800SG, iPad

09-08-2009, 09:54 PM	#10
Dylrob Murderous Mustela Posts: 10,234 Karma: 48000000 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The other land of schnitzel and beer Device: iPad M1 Pro, Kindle Paperwhite	Looks at wiki page Ouch, those sharks are fast to the feast.

09-08-2009, 10:06 PM	#14
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	I copied your changes into the article, zelda. I also added a link to a French langauge blog that used liseuse correctly.