MAINTAINING THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY IN PRINTED FORM

That this House welcomes the Save the Oxford English Dictionary campaign founded by Abbie Maguire, which calls for the Oxford English Dictionary to remain in printed form; notes that the Dictionary, first published in 1884, is the largest dictionary of English in the world and should be treated as a historical artefact; further notes it follows a fine pedigree of British writers and innovators who composed some of the first recorded books of words in English, Latin, German and French and we should be honouring their work as opposed to erasing their influence from physical editions of the Dictionary; believes that Britain is famous for its rich and diverse heritage and that to deny the Dictionary a printed edition is to deny the future a glimpse into our past; supports the idea that to improve literary skills in Britain it is vital dictionaries be kept in print as resources for learning or curiosity; considers that all English literature is intrinsically linked to the Dictionary by its provision of standardisation in language; further considers it vital that everyone, including future generations, should have access to a work that inspired what we currently read; and further believes that world-renowned English writers such as William Shakespeare, whose linguistic inventions can be found in the Dictionary, should be kept alive in our culture through what we choose to preserve in its original form.