In memoriam: Katherine Barber, 1959-2021
Covers of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition and Six Words You Never Knew Had Something To Do With Pig, respectively edited and written by Katherine Barber.
The Butterflies & Aliens Library was saddened to hear of the death of Katherine Barber, founding editor of the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and Canada’s “Word Lady,” on April 24, 2021, of cancer. She was 61.
Prior to her hiring by Oxford in 1991, there had been no authoritative reference for Canadian English. Under Barber’s leadership and direction, the first edition of the Oxford Canadian Dictionary came out in 1998 and included 2,000 distinctly Canadian terms such as “keener” and “parkade.” A second edition followed in 2004 with an additional 200 Canadianisms, but regrettably Oxford closed its Canadian dictionary office in 2008 and there has been no substantial update since.
Our Head Alien had the delight of hearing Barber speak at the Edmonton Public Library a number of years ago, a room full of word nerds enraptured by their queen. Her passion for language was deep and contagious.
Rest in peace, Word Lady.
– Winston and Stacey