A carnival of words: The 'Dictionary of Words in the Wild' and public textuality

Abstract

The Dictionary of Words in the Wild is a simple online mechanism for uploading and viewing photographic images of words as they are found, wherever they are found and in whatever condition in the daily environment. Typically while out and about a contributor photographs words or phrases as these catch the eye, most often in passing, sometimes with necessary discretion, sometimes without knowing what exactly may have been caught in the moment. Later, uploading the catch of images, he or she tags each with the words or phrases shown in it. A cropping tool allows for a certain degree of framing in order best to represent what was fleetingly glimpsed. The Dictionary now contains about 3000 images and 4000 unique words ­­– enough to allow speculation on what research might be done with it or with a more deliberately crafted tool. But the Dictionary was not built with any particular theory of language in mind. Rather those responsible are interested in seeing what might come of it, what theories might apply and what demands might be made on the technology. In this talk I will describe the Dictionary, demonstrate it, relate my experiences as one of the major contributors and invite discussion of its significance.