Kory Stamper: Difference between revisions

Stamper grew up in [[Colorado]].<ref name=":0" /> She attended [[Smith College]], where she undertook an interdisciplinary major that involved studying [[Latin]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Old Norse|Norse]], [[Old English]], and [[Middle English]] after enrolling in a course on [[Icelandic family sagas]] of the 13th and 14th centuries. She says, "I loved the style, the rhythm. They're very bleak, but they have this black humor."<ref name=":0" />

Stamper worked in a college development office before applying for an editorial assistant position with [[Merriam-Webster]] in 1998.<ref name=":0" /> She left Merriam-Webster after working there for nearly 20 years.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stamper|first=Kory|url=https://korystamper.wordpress.com/about/|title=Who?|work=harm·less drudg·ery|date=19 September 2011 |access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref> She was associate editor at Merriam-Webster for more than ten years.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pfarrer|first=Steve|date=July 20, 2017|url=https://www.gazettenet.com/The-Secret-Life-if-Dictionaries-Lexicographer-Kory-Stamper-talks-about-her-work-with-Merriam-Webster-and-the-quirks-of-the-English-language-11268612|title=The secret life of dictionaries: Kory Stamper on her new book ‘Word'Word by Word’Word'|work=Daily Hampshire Gazette|access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref> As of 2019, Stamper worked freelance with [[Cambridge University Press]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Stamper|first=Kory|date=December 4, 2019|url=https://aceseditors.org/news/2019/interview-with-an-editor-kory-stamper|title=Interview with an Editor: Kory Stamper|publisher=ACES: The Society for Editing|access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref> As of December 2023, she was senior editor of lexicography at [[Dictionary.com]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://content.dictionary.com/word-of-the-year-2023/|title=The Dictionary.com Word of the Year is ''hallucinate''.|work=Dictionary.com|date=December 12, 2023|access-date=May 1, 2024}}</ref> where she worked until April 2024.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kory|first=Stamper|date=April 13, 2024|url=https://bsky.app/profile/korystamper.bsky.social/post/3kpxgzhx7eo2l|title=I always said I'd ride the dictionary train until the terminus; the train will pull into the station April 30, which is my last day at dictionary.com. What a magical and unlikely career this has been. I'll miss it! HMU if you ever need an editor who knows more about grammar than is safe! 💜|work=Bluesky|access-date=May 1, 2024}}</ref>

In addition to her editorial duties, she presented many of Merriam-Webster's "Ask the Editor" videos,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/index.htm|accessdate=2012-06-05|title=Merriam-Webster - Ask the Editor}}</ref> a series on the publisher's website and [[YouTube]] that discusses the English language, especially unusual or controversial words and usages. She undertook speaking engagements on behalf of Merriam-Webster<ref>{{cite web| url=httphttps://articleswww.chicagotribune.com/2012-/04-/04/features/ctenglish-tributhe-words-workmongrel-language/|access-history-20120404_1_mongrel-language-second-language-english|accessdatedate=2012-06-05| url-status = deadlive | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120418065357/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-04/features/ct-tribu-words-work-language-history-20120404_1_mongrel-language-second-language-english | title = English: The mongrel language | website = Chicago Tribune | date = 4 April 2012 | archive-date = 18 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itbe.org/convention.php|accessdate=2012-06-05|title=Kory Stamper Plenary Speaker Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages 2012 convention|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423085616/http://www.itbe.org/convention.php|archive-date=2012-04-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> and provides expert advice and response to general enquiries on language and lexicography from the public.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.learnersdictionary.com/blog.php?action=ViewBlogArchive&monthyear=02-2010| title=Examples of Stamper providing expert advice to public}}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Stamper drew attention as the associate editor responsible for explaining the addition of the term "[[F-bomb]]" into the dictionary.<ref name=":0" />

Stamper also provides lexicographical and language-related commentary for various media outlets including the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/tribu/ct-tribu-words-work-crush-20120215,0,1758115.story |accessdate=2012-06-06|title=Chicago Tribune |website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=15 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-tribu-words-work-crush-20120215-story.html|title=Word crushes|last=Stevens|first=Heidi|date=February 15, 2012|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=2017-06-01|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-14/features/ct-tribu-words-work-eponyms-20120314_1_bogart-names-jionni | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315103142/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-14/features/ct-tribu-words-work-eponyms-20120314_1_bogart-names-jionni | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 15, 2012 |accessdate=2012-06-06|title=''Chicago Tribune''|date=14 March 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-09/features/ct-tribu-words-work-wheelhouse-20120509_1_star-power-business-cruise=| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119025849/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-09/features/ct-tribu-words-work-wheelhouse-20120509_1_star-power-business-cruise=| url-status=dead| archive-date=January 19, 2013|accessdate=2012-06-06|title=''Chicago Tribune''|date=9 May 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-09/features/ct-tribu-words-work-wheelhouse-20120509_1_star-power-business-cruise | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119011408/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-09/features/ct-tribu-words-work-wheelhouse-20120509_1_star-power-business-cruise | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 19, 2013 |accessdate=2012-06-06|title=''Chicago Tribune''|date=9 May 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-03-29/news/0603290358_1_hot-slang-meanings | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119044832/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-03-29/news/0603290358_1_hot-slang-meanings | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 19, 2013 |accessdate=2012-06-06|title=Columbia News Service article published in the ''Chicago Tribune''|date=29 March 2006 }}</ref> and has written on other, non-language-related topics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brainchildmag.com/essays/fall2007_stamper.asp/ |accessdate=2012-06-05 |title=Alma Mater - an article published in www.brainchildmag.com an online parenting magazine. |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824050025/http://www.brainchildmag.com/essays/fall2007_stamper.asp |archivedate=August 24, 2011 }}</ref>{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?442657-1/word-word Presentation by Stamper on ''Word by Word'', March 22, 2018], [[C-SPAN]]}}

Stamper appears in all six episodes of the 2021 [[Netflix]] series ''[[History of Swear Words]]'',<ref>{{Citation|title=History of Swear Words|date=2021-01-05|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13617060/|type=Documentary, Comedy|others=Nikki Glaser, London Hughes, Elvis Mitchell, Melissa Mohr|publisher=B17 Entertainment, Funny or Die|access-date=2021-01-24}}</ref> providing commentary on the linguistic histories of various obscenities. ''The Hollywood Reporter'' described Stamper as "probably the breakout among the expert talking heads".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-05|title='History of Swear Words' Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/history-of-swear-words-tv-review|access-date=2021-01-24|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}</ref>