The world has changed very much over the past hundred or so years and so has the English language. Many words have gained new meanings that people in the olden days just wouldn’t understand. The word “chronic” is no different. The Oxford English Dictionary defines chronic as “of or relating to time, or lasting a long time, long-continued, lingering, inveterate.” The Urban Dictionary has a little bit of a different definition. The Urban Dictionary defines chronic “as very potent, high grade marijuana, typically categorized by it’s lack of seeds and high concentrations of white or opaque crystals.” Chronic is also known as marijuana that is laced with cocaine for a more intense high that lasts longer. I find it interesting because the Oxford definition defines it as lasting a long time and chronic is the strongest type of weed which gives you a longer lasting high. I guess Snoop Doggy Dog did his research before he started rapping about it. The Oxford English Dictionary derives its authority from the fact that it has been around for such a long time and is one of the largest English dictionaries. The original authorities of the OED were John Simpson, Edmund Weiner and many other college scholars. The Oxford Dictionary is descriptive and the Urban Dictionary is prescriptive. The Oxford Dictionary is much more reliable of a source because college scholars are the ones that compose the definitions. In the Urban Dictionary, anyone who feels like composing a definition is allowed to do it. The Urban Dictionary has many words that the Oxford English Dictionary does not have because many of the words have been recently added to our language, or they have just gained a new meaning. The OED is more accurate than the Urban Dictionary because not just anyone can compose a definition in the OED.

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The English language is a very difficult language to learn for many reasons. One of these reasons is the fact that many words and phrases have multiple meanings. For example, the phrase “ I heard that” literally conveys, that I physically heard the noise that was made or i understand the sentence that was just spoken to me. However, it also can express agreement to a statement recently made by another person. The English language is chock full of these double ended words and phrases.

Of all the doubles in the English language the word “Cougar” is by far my favorite.  The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word cougar as a large feline quadruped, found wild in most parts of America: also called puma catamount etc. The forementioned definition of the word is its original intention. Hundreds of years ago some men came across a large cat and decided to call it as such.

As we have learned in this class though language is a constantly evolving and changing entity that will adapt to meet the needs of the world as it currently is. Because of this we now have a secondary meaning to the word cougar. Urban dictionary defines the word cougar as an older woman who frequents clubs in order to score a much younger man. This new definition of the word cougar is a pure reflection of changing times. The definitions are in no way related except for the word they define.

This brings up the question of which of these definitions is correct? Because there is technically no English standard truly we can not make that distinction. We can, however, examine the source of the knowledge and input in the definitions and through this make a stab at which one is more correct for usage in papers speeches etc. 

The source of our first definition is the Oxford English Dictionary. For all intensive purposes this is the correct source for formal settings. It is a peer reviewed source meaning that it is reviewed and corrected by Professors as well as other academics and represents the traditions of the English language. This gives it credibility and makes it the place to find prescriptive definitions.

Urban Dictionary is the exact opposite of Oxford English Dictionary. It is a wiki style source in which the words are added by users as they appear in the lives of American youth. Because it is so new though it is highly unlikely you will find a definition accepted by the world of academia. This makes this a source of descriptive definitions because it is not qualified, but rather describes current situations.

These sources are a good reflection of the English language as it is today. A combination of both the old order preserving the integrity and tradition of the English language, as well as the youth of America making up new words to carry the language into the future.