Urban Dictionary
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| Urban Dictionary | |
|---|---|
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| URL | www.urbandictionary.com |
| Slogan | Define Your World |
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | Slang Dictionary |
| Registration | optional |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Aaron Peckham |
| Created by | Aaron Peckham |
| Launched | 1999 |
| Current status | active |
Urban Dictionary is an online web dictionary whose definitions are written by some of its users.[1][2] Because it is edited by users, it also tends to feature recent neologisms and Internet memes, and its definitions can vary widely in quality. Other users can rank these definitions, making the more popular (and thus, supposedly, more useful) definitions appear first.
Contents |
[edit] History
The dictionary was founded by Aaron Peckham while he was an undergraduate at Cal Poly. The site went online in 1999.[3]
As of December 2005, it had more than 3,000,000 definitions with new definitions coming in at a rate of 2000 per day.[citation needed]
[edit] Operation
To contribute to the dictionary, users must sign up for an account, and they can vote once per entry. Each term may have multiple definitions, each submitted by a different user. Poor or unpopular definitions are effectively buried under higher-ranked definitions. Often, approving votes are influenced as much by an entry's humour as by its accuracy.
For many users, the site is primarily a form of entertainment. Besides the slang and profanity that it aims to cover, Urban Dictionary also contains Internet jargon, memes, neologisms, bands, and even personal or regional rivalries[citation needed].
[edit] Quality control
The quality control system reduces the number of hateful and personal definitions. Urban Dictionary allows racist, homophobic/biphobic and sexist slurs, and even racist, homophobic/biphobic or sexist definitions, because such terms are a major part of slang.
The quality control process has gone through several iterations. Originally, a user that objected to a definition could submit a complaint. Deletion requests were added to a pool to be reviewed by users. However, this approach was abandoned because many volunteer reviewers approved definitions based on whether they agreed with the tone or opinions expressed. This lack in quality control has led to a proliferation of racist, homophobic/biphobic and sexist terms on Urban Dictionary that are more likely to be inventions of the contributor than actual slang. For example, there are at least 151 entries that are variants of a disparaging term for African-Americans. Most of these entries appear to be based on contributor opinions or attempts at humor. These problems and others raise questions about the validity of Urban Dictionary as a source of real linguistic information.
Under the current reviewing system, newly submitted definitions are entered into the editing queue before appearing on the site. Volunteer editors (anyone who opens an Urban Dictionary webpage) can vote to accept or reject definitions in the queue. Words with no other definitions on the site go to the front of the queue. Conversely, words with many definitions wait longer before being reviewed by editors. This system allows new slang to appear within a day or two. Each submission is reviewed by a number of volunteers (the exact number varies, but lies between two and nine), with controversial definitions being viewed by more people. Definitions with more accept votes than reject votes appear on the site.
[edit] Content
Urban Dictionary differs from traditional dictionaries in that there is no guide to word function or pronunciation.
Urban Dictionary has a reputation of including very explicit and provocative content in the definitions. This is likely due to the young ages of its editors[citation needed]. The definitions are usually filled with explicit language and dialogue, and some of the images remain uncensored. Many schools and businesses block the Urban Dictionary because of the unreliability, inappropriateness and questionability of content. The definitions are uncensored because many swear-words are used in slang terms.
[edit] Publication
In October 2006 a selection of tame definitions from the Urban Dictionary was published in book form. A second book was made available for pre-order in October 2007.
- Urban Dictionary: Fularious Street Slang Defined (by Aaron Peckham, 320 pages, Andrews McMeel, 2006, ISBN 0740751433)
- Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined (by Aaron Peckham, 240 pages, Andrews McMeel, 2007, ISBN 0740768751)[4]
[edit] References
- ^ UrbanDictionary-Words defined by people | MakeUseOf.com
- ^ Top 100 Classic Websites - Urban Dictionary
- ^ Aaron Peckham (2005). Urban Dictionary: Fularious Street Slang Defined. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-514-33.
- ^ Lifestyle/Scene - In the hot seat: 'Ginormous' Web site makes phat book - look it up - sacbee.com
