let's get liseuse recognized as a real word

[Over]

Originally Posted by Daithi

I'll be honest, I doubt I'd use this word as I simply prefer the term 'ereader' (the person reading the ebook is still a reader whether they read a book, ebook, scroll, codex, clay tablet, chalkboard, whiteboard, newspaper, magazine, cereal box, whatever). Furthermore, I don't know how to pronounce 'liseuse' and thus can't remember how to spell it. I pronounce it lice-use in my head and that sounds gross (although I think the word yogurt sounds gross but I still eat the stuff -- yes I'm getting off track). Lastly, the first time I came across this word (here at Mobileread) I was confused. My interpretation was that liseuse referred to some type of licensing/'right of use' scheme that allowed small manufacturers to repackage exisiting ereaders using their own branding. For myself, and myself only, I can't see using a word that I can reasonably believe would cause others similar confusion.

I think (guess) that the correct spelling would be lee-zeu(rimes with "the")-ze.

Anyway, I don't see the need of importing this word to english. If it's because of the ereader format, that's simple: you don't say you're buying a mobi or an epub, you say you're buying an ebook.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

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.

HAHAHAHAHA!

It is proposed that this article be deleted because of the following concern:

WP:MADEUP - here. Term must demonstrate widespread use in the industry before being notable.

And to be honest, your definition is incorrect. Liseuse means bright light and that is not what an eBook reader is.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

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?

Urban Dictionary is lousy. They accept any definition regardless if it's correct or not. So just because they accept it doesn't mean anything.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

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



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 :



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.

The word means bright light. How's that a dedicated reading device?

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And to be honest, your definition is incorrect. Liseuse means bright light and that is not what an eBook reader is.

ahem. do you speak french ? "liseuse" has several definitions. *one* of them is a reading lamp (and not just any "bright light"). it *also* means a hardware device for reading ebooks on.

as for its adoption into english, i doubt it will ever become the only word used. and i'm sure most people will end up calling them "ereaders". but there's no reason not to have more than one word for the same thing. after all, some people say "kleenex" and some say "tissue", some people say "icebox" and some say "fridge"...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Juliette

Liseuse all the way. It's direct (at least in English- euh, I have a liseuse, a woolen one, somewhere, and the name is the same) and better sounding that "dedicated reading device for electronical texts" or any acronym for it (DRD?). (After all paper books too are dedicating reading devices .)




(on the other hand when will we get e-ink bedjckets? I've seen an e-ink watch the other day, so why not.)

DRD is not bad.. but how about PRD (portable reading device) since we have PMP (portable music player)? We also have DAP (digital audio player) and DED would be (digital eBook display). DRD can be the generic term and PRD can be the specific one for the portable units. How's that sound?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

ahem. do you speak french ? "liseuse" has several definitions. *one* of them is a reading lamp (and not just any "bright light"). it *also* means a hardware device for reading ebooks on.

as for its adoption into english, i doubt it will ever become the only word used. and i'm sure most people will end up calling them "ereaders". but there's no reason not to have more than one word for the same thing. after all, some people say "kleenex" and some say "tissue", some people say "icebox" and some say "fridge"...

Personally, I'd love for eReader to go to bat for the term eReader so it cannot be used to mean the devices. Then we can have a term that's not already being used for something else.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Yep, I too am worried that people won't know how to pronounce it - I read is as 'liz - use' is that right?

I'm reluctant to abandon my beloved 'ereader' as the word of choice - people in the UK know what I'm talking about when I say that, I'd have to explain what a liseuse is.

Also, the Wikipedia page says:
"been adopted in english as well by members of MobileRead Forums, an online community dedicated to ebooks and ebook readers."
Shouldn't that read:
"...dedicated to ebooks and liseuses." ??

I think a lot of people would pronounce it as lice-uses.

[JSWolf]

We could call these devices portable computers since that what they are. I also like EDD (eBook display device). ereader I rather dislike since it's the name of an eBook format and program. I like Sony's numbering as we get to shorten it to 300, 500, 505, 600, 700 & 2012 (if I have that right). But for general readers, how about eBreader? That would do away with the issue of eReader.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by EricGagne

I can do that. I'm pretty sure they'll come up with "Lecteur de livres électronique".

Is eReader the "official" word in English ?

eReader is already in use. eReader is the program that handles eReader format eBooks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Here is an example of why I want to adopt this word. In the following sentence "ebook reader" can be used 3 times:

I am an (person) holding my (device), which runs a particular (software) called Mobipocket.

Do you see the confusion here?

I am an eBook reader holding my eBreader, which runs a particular program called Mobipocket.

Problem solved.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

1. ikea
2. ???

2. meatballs

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I am an eBook reader holding my eBreader, which runs a particular program called Mobipocket.

Problem solved.

Ebreader either sounds like a virtual baker, or some kind of sim reproduction game, depending on how you pronounce it...

[ahintz]

This is all somewhat moot. Just like we call tissues Kleenex, and copiers Xerox machines, we'll likely call these devices whichever one becomes popular (I'd say Kindle is in the pole position right now) - which probably means we'll call them whatever Apple decides to name their device!

On a serious note, the problem with "liseuse" is that as an English speaker, I don't know immediately how to pronounce the word by sounding it out. I want to say "lis (as in list) - use" which just sounds weird. It simply doesn't roll off this English-speaker's tongue (nothing against French, but we are talking about finding a word for English speakers here).

As for a generic word, I think ebook and ereader are the most likely candidates. They are readily understood by just about anyone, and they simply explain what we're talking about. As for the eReader format - too bad. There simply is no better term to describe these devices.

[millydog]

I also think of it as 'lis' - 'use' & I don't know if that is correct pronunciation. I don't like the term. e-reader much better describes what the hardware is for English speakers, an electronic reader. Even my parents know what an e-reader is, but no one is going to know what a liseuse is. I have only just recently heard of it myself and I have been frequenting here since Jan. Initially I thought that it meant a forum...as in 'lise' meaning list and 'use' meaning usernet. Seriously.
Who cares if there is an eReader format and there is eReader software and the devices are called e-reader (or ereader)....people know what it means.