Merriam-Webster to Redirect Entries for “Unskilled Labor”, “Migrant Worker” to “Mexican” in Next Edition of Dictionary
-Springfield, MA (AIP)
Publisher Merriam-Webster, best known for its dictionaries, announced controversial plans to redirect the entries for “unskilled labor” and “migrant worker” to the word “Mexican” in the updated version of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, set to be published next spring.
In a statement released Thursday, the longtime publisher revealed their motivations for the move, which some pro-immigration and Hispanic-American groups have decried as racist and discriminatory.
“Our studies have shown that, for all intents and purposes, in common English parlance, the terms ‘unskilled labor’ and ‘migrant worker’ are virtually synonymous with the term ‘Mexican’. To not reference ‘Mexican’ in the entries for these phrases would be an insult and blow to the integrity of the English language as spoken in the United States.”
Some feel that this will introduce a subtle and “understood” strand of racism in the fabric of the English language.
According to the Vice President of The Hispanic-American Association of America (HAAA), Vicente Hidalgo, “Hispanic-Americans are already discriminated against as it is. We don’t need one of the most influential legislative bodies of the English language passing racist terminology as law. Whether or not migrant workers and unskilled laborers are in fact for the most part Mexican is totally beside the point. This blatant and unending racism against Hispanic-Americans must end. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go eat a burrito.”
Not all, however, see the controversy. According to University of Texas Professor of Social Linguistics Clarke Luther, “The purpose of any dictionary is to accurately reflect the norms of the language it seeks to codify. Language is a dynamic, ever-changing entity, always a product of the society which it permeates. Consequently, our dictionaries must be adapted to accommodate this constant state of flux.”
Added Luther, “Plus, whenever I think about migrant workers and unskilled laborers, I think about Mexicans.”
