Dictionary. It's the tool we use when we want to prove a word isn't real and when someone uses a word incorrectly. Literally. And I mean “literally” not in an exaggerated sense. And now anime fans in the English-speaking world might argue that isekai is now a word. However, it's a little more complicated than that.
© 劇場版異世界かるてっと/KADOKAWA
As reported on Oxford English Dictionary (OED's) X (formerly Twitter) account and homepage, the dictionary has now included many Japanese loanwords in their most recent update. Among those words are “tonkotsu,” “donburi,” “okonomiyaki,” “onigiri,” “tokusatsu,” and for us anime fans, “isekai.” However, this is not the first time Japanese loan words have been included in the English dictionary. Previous examples include words like “ramen,” “anime,” and “manga.”
🇯🇵 In the latest update of the OED, a series of new words of Japanese origin were added to the dictionary, including 'kintsugi'.
Read the definition below and discover more in this article by OED World English Editor Danica Salazar: https://t.co/T994B6O1KT pic.twitter.com/EW9VUsewu1
— OED (@OED) March 28, 2024
So, how does the OED define “isekai”? According to the homepage dictionary, this word is defined as:
A Japanese genre of science fiction or fantasy about a main character who is transported to or reincarnated in another, strange, or unfamiliar world. Also: an anime, manga, video game, etc., belonging to this genre. Frequently as a modifier.
Translators may debate the definition, but here is a concise and relevant definition of the word. However, this raises an interesting question: How did words get added to English and then dictionaries?
And now, a Word about Words
The first question is much easier to answer. The English language brings in new words by usage, especially extensive usage. A great example of this is slang terms. Take the word “rizz” for example. The shortening of the word “attraction”, “rizz” was widely used and applied in the late 2010s and early 2020s. A similar argument can be made with “anime”. Although the word was in use before the 2000s, it did not gain widespread adoption until around the 2000s—with the medium commonly referred to as “Japanese” long before that. And it really doesn't matter if a word appears in the dictionary or is not considered a word.
This is best recognized with the word “ain't”. Often used to mean “not” or “not”, “not” is ridiculed by certain groups of people. However, according to the Merriam-Websters dictionary, the word has been in use since 1749. So let's understand it, speakers is not a word.
So, if a word is widely used and accepted, will it be included in the dictionary? Well, this is not exactly the case either. In a March 2017 Vox YouTube interview with Merriam-Webster's Dictionary associate editor Kory Stamper, Stamper noted Merriam-Webster's includes words when they meet three criteria: 1) Use widespread, 2) Shelf life and 3) Meaningful use. So, if we apply the same criteria to “isekai,” the word will be widely used (at least among anime and manga fans) and have meaningful uses. Regarding shelf life, only time will truly tell. However, with the current popularity of isekai stories, we probably won't see it going anywhere for a while, especially when we turn it into the verb “isekaied”.
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There is another aspect of dictionary use that comes to the fore with the addition of “isekai” to the OED. Do we use dictionaries to dictate how words are used, or do we use dictionaries to help us understand how words are used? To put it more technically, do we want the dictionary to be prescriptive or descriptive? The same Vox interview mentioned above goes deeper into this issue, and for the most part, Stamper notes how many modern dictionaries are descriptive in their usage.
In fact, there is a whole problem with Webster's Third New International because it moves from a more prescriptive style to a descriptive style. This caused such a rift that the American Heritage Dictionary was created. Even now, however, the American Heritage Dictionary still relies on descriptive usage, while remaining true to its prescriptive origins. So, in this sense, the word “isekai” is included in the OED not as a way for the dictionary to dictate how the word should be used, but rather to note how it should be used.
With “isekai” currently in the OED, there is no telling what other anime and manga terms will make their way into the English dictionary. For me, I hope the dictionary entry for the word “name” will include the usage of the term (ネーム) in the manga publishing industry (thumbnail sketches or rough storyboards of manga). But, only time will tell.
Source: Oxford English Dictionary (link 2), X/Twitter accountThe Guardian, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, YouTube Channel
by Vox