Talk:disprefer

Not a word

I would like to point out that 'disprefer' is not an actual word found in any dictionary. If it is commonly used somewhere, perhaps a note of it being a colloquialism might be prudent. Xadnder 22:15, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

It is an actual word because it is in use. Moreover it is attestable. google books:disprefer and google news archive:disprefer -dispreference and google scholar:disprefer -dispreference. I'd be surprised that the latest OED didn't have it. DCDuring TALK 19:58, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

Primarily in the discipline of linguistics?

This post on Language Log (a linguistics blog run by professional linguists) indicates that 'disprefer' seems to be a term commonly used in linguistics and little used outside linguistics: [1] So, on the one hand, as Xadnder points about, it is not found in dictionaries; on the other hand, it is not exactly a colloquialism. Steorra 05:41, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

That seems to be where much of the usage is, but it seems misleading to say it is restricted to use there, when it even appears in newspapers and no educated hearer or reader is likely to fail to understand it. DCDuring TALK 20:02, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

It still isn't officially recognized as a word...see The Vocablua Review...however it is used amongst linguists.Smallman12q 15:15, 1 August 2010 (UTC)

What does "officially recognized as a word" mean for an English word? Unlike more dirigiste languages or languages of more dirigiste countries, English does not have an Academy to which words apply for papers certifying their validity. Words formed by the addition of "productive" affixes or by compounding are examples of words that hardly need a dictionary definition to be understood. If I call someone a "Javahead" among those who have heard of Java, they would know the meaning of the word, whether or not any dictionary had it (No www.OneLook.com reference does.).

How can we indicate which of a group of synonyms is the more commonly used in general speech (as well as specialized contexts)? We indicate "rare", "archaic", "obsolete", "dated", regional terms, and those in formal, informal, colloquial, slang, and vulgar registers. We do not indicate the relative frequency of various synonyms, partially because it is difficult to do so, especially for words with multiple definitions. Constructive suggestions are appreciated. For a wider discussion of this word, you could start a discussion at the Tea Room. For a discussion of how to indicate how widely used a word is, you could start a discussion at the Beer Parlor. DCDuring TALK 15:57, 1 August 2010 (UTC)