Meet the Author: Sarah Ogilvie

Image © Robert Taylor

Sarah Ogilvie specialises in language, dictionaries, and technology. As a lexicographer she has been an editor at the Oxford English Dictionary and was Chief Editor of Oxford Dictionaries in Australia. As a technologist she has worked in Silicon Valley at Lab 126, Amazon's innovation lab, where she was part of the team that developed the Kindle. Sarah's latest book, The Dictionary People, was published by Chatto & Windus in September and is also available on our catalogue.

When and where did you develop your interest in etymology? I can't imagine 'Lexicographer' was offered as a career at school?

Yes, I had never heard of lexicography when I was at school so I started out as a mathematician and computer scientist, but late one night in my university library I came to my love of words through the chance reading of the book Language by Edward Sapir (a classic, as I later discovered). It inspired me to study linguistics and I eventually did my doctorate on the topic at Oxford. I started working as a lexicographer as a grad student.

You are a former editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. That must have been a huge sense of achievement and tradition to reach that point?

It was a privilege to work as a small part of the large team of seventy-five people at the Oxford English Dictionary.

What were the major trends in language and word use that you saw in your time as editor?

The main change was the launch of the Internet and social media, which now makes it possible for lexicographers to track language and word use in real time - before then, it took much longer for words to spread, for language to change, and for lexicographers to track those changes.

I would imagine that the incoming letters to the editor at the OED were interesting when you were there? Of course it would be the 'contribute' button on e-mail now?

Yes as I tell in the book, when I first worked at the Dictionary thirty years ago, I used to open the post each morning which contained bundles of slips and words sent in from the public. One contributor from Australia sent in 100,000 slips. There was a surprise to those slips and to that contributor, which I shall leave for readers to discover in the final chapter of the book!

Sir James Murray is a legendary figure in the history of the OED. What was that moment like when you realised you had found his contacts book?

As I tell in the introduction of The Dictionary People, it felt like time went into slow motion when I opened that dusty box in the basement of Oxford University Press and first came across Murray's little black address book tied with cream ribbon.

Rather than concentrating on Murray as most studies of the OED have, you have concentrated on the everyday people who contributed to the OED?

This is a people's history of the Dictionary from the ground up, and through the eyes of the many members of the public who read their local books and faithfully sent in their local words. I think of them as the unsung heroes of the OED, because this book shines a light on many of them for the first time.

You spent eight years researching The Dictionary People. How did it feel when you completed it?

When you are researching, it is always difficult to know when to stop - you always think you might find one more interesting thing - and I kept finding fascinating things so it was hard to stop. In fact, the secret to being a good lexicographer is also knowing when to stop - you could keep fiddling with a definition for hours, days, months and years, if you are not careful.

Did you discover anything that surprised you when you were researching?

So many things! There were so many vivid and eccentric people, and such wonderful stories. I managed to get most of them into the book. I'd love readers to let me know which of the Dictionary People was their favourite.

You worked for the Amazon Innovation Lab and were part of the team that developed the Kindle. What do you remember about that time?

Silicon Valley is an exciting place to work. I learnt a lot about collaboration and working in teams to solve problems.

One word that everyone should try to use to keep it alive?

There are so many in the book which I would love people to revive! Two of my favourites are aquabob (icicle) and zwodder (feeling drowsy).