To: Nigel Portwood, Chief Executive at Oxford University Press
Don’t Erase Nature From the Dictionary
The removal of nature words from the Oxford Junior Dictionary is a troubling trend. Since 2007 the OJD has cut the names of at least 30 plant and animal species from its pages, replacing nature words with words that reflect our current cultural obsession with technology.
Today our planet is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals -- the only one caused by humankind. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Once species are gone, they’re gone forever.
In an age of mass extinction, children are more and more disconnected from the natural world and its disappearing biodiversity. Research shows that a strong connection with nature is an essential component of a healthy childhood, yet the OJD has replaced the names of rare animals like cheetah and ferret with words like Mp3 player and blog. The omission of nature words from the pages reinforces the cultural notion that today’s technological distractions are more valuable and necessary than the plant and animals species that contribute to the healthy ecosystems that support all living things on our planet.
You can fix this.
I urge you to return nature to OJD by restoring words associated with the natural world and the names of important plant and animal species to your dictionary.
Today our planet is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals -- the only one caused by humankind. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Once species are gone, they’re gone forever.
In an age of mass extinction, children are more and more disconnected from the natural world and its disappearing biodiversity. Research shows that a strong connection with nature is an essential component of a healthy childhood, yet the OJD has replaced the names of rare animals like cheetah and ferret with words like Mp3 player and blog. The omission of nature words from the pages reinforces the cultural notion that today’s technological distractions are more valuable and necessary than the plant and animals species that contribute to the healthy ecosystems that support all living things on our planet.
You can fix this.
I urge you to return nature to OJD by restoring words associated with the natural world and the names of important plant and animal species to your dictionary.
Why is this important?
Nature is disappearing from the Oxford Junior Dictionary.
Since 2007 Oxford University Press has cut the names of at least 30 plant and animal species -- and numerous other words associated with nature and biological diversity -- from the pages of its Junior dictionary.
Since 2007 Oxford University Press has cut the names of at least 30 plant and animal species -- and numerous other words associated with nature and biological diversity -- from the pages of its Junior dictionary.