Language matters
If E. M. Jellinek was the most influential scholar to define the science of addiction studies, Mark Keller was probably the most influential in shaping and defining its language. His alcohol dictionary project exemplifies his efforts to foster conversation both among academic disciplines and between scholars and the wider public, which, eventually, helped alcohol studies to cohere and develop as an interdisciplinary, public-facing field of study.
The alcohol language
Published in 1958, The alcohol language, with a selected vocabulary, by Mark Keller and John R. Seeley, is a concise monograph that addresses the critical need for a commonly accepted and standardized terminology in the field, pointing out that discordant language impedes efficient communication among scholars. The book features two different approaches. Keller proposes the recognition of the determining force in language use and the development of a collection of definitions, a lexicon, based on usage, with each term listed with the variety of meanings as discovered in the literature. Seeley, acknowledging Keller’s gentle and gradual methods, hopes for a terminological revolution.
Defining alcohol language
As early as in 1940, in an attempt to define modern terms, in Volume 1, Issue 2 of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, the members of the Research Council on Problems of Alcohol (RCPA) noted the need for a specific definition of three terms—namely, alcoholic, alcoholism, and drunkenness. In 1942, Jellinek went one step beyond, offering a more thorough and comprehensive study of troublesome and potentially vague terminology in his book Alcohol addiction and chronic alcoholism, listing definitions of both terms from multiple sources (pp. 6-9).
An editor who had probably read almost everything and anything published in the field, Keller understood “the severity of the prevailing chaos” in the language, as he stated in a short monograph co-authored with John R. Seeley. Published in 1958, The alcohol language, with a selected vocabulary, dealt with formulating a vocabulary of the alcohol language. Far from a collaborative work between the two authors, the content of this publication seems to take on the tone of a debate, with two separate articles offering differing perspectives.
As initially presented at the Symposium on Alcoholism in Toronto in 1954, Keller first makes the argument that attempts to impose language on a populace generally fail, and that any working vocabulary would have to be defined first in accordance with everyday usage, next by an indication of that usage which is generally preferred, and only after these two definitions were established could a recommended usage be provided. To illustrate his nuanced approach to disambiguation and global use, he also presents a selected vocabulary of sample terms known to have given trouble.
Seeley, while not necessarily in disagreement with Keller’s general premise, felt that the alcohol science field was small and interconnected enough at the time of their publication that a vocabulary could be imposed. He agrees with Keller’s idea as a stop-gap measure, and considers it certainly more useful than any attempts to that point, but advocates for a revolutionary undertaking as opposed to mere reform.
After the monograph was published, Seeley acquired a grant from the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) for a study of alcoholism nomenclature and classification, which he handed over to Keller in 1960, following his resignation. Keller developed the alcohol language with the help of this continuous NIMH grant through 1966, resulting in A dictionary of words about alcohol.
--Adopted from Bejarano, W. (2015). Language Matters: Terminology in the scientific alcohol literature. SALIS Journal, 2, 37-45.
A dictionary of words about alcohol
Published in 1968, A dictionary of words about alcohol, by Mark Keller and Mairi McCormick, is a reference book listing terms related to alcohol, its use, misuse, and the societal and medical contexts surrounding it. The dictionary is groundbreaking in its comprehensive and scientific treatment of alcohol-related terminology, providing standardized definitions to clarify often misunderstood or inconsistently used terminology in the field of alcohol research and treatment. The book’s significance lies in its ability to foster clear communication among professionals in medicine, public health, and policy. By offering precise language, the book helped lay the groundwork for a more scientific, consistent, and stigma-reducing approach to understanding and addressing alcohol-related issues.
A lifetime wordsmith
Keller's dictionary didn't evolve in a vacuum but as the result of decades of experience and collaborative work. Drawing also from all the articles he reviewed in various fields of science, Keller, with E. M. Jellinek and Vera Efron, developed a consistent, controlled vocabulary of the alcohol literature for the Classified Abstract Archive of Alcohol Literature, leaving behind a great model of organizing information with detailed subject headings.
By tirelessly collecting everyday occurrences of related words over the years, Keller expanded the sample vocabulary presented in The alcohol language into a multi-functional, general dictionary. The first edition of A dictionary of words about alcohol, by Mark Keller and Mairi McCormick (MacInnes), was published in 1968 by the Publications Division of the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies, spearheaded by Mark Keller. Vera Efron joined the authors to update the book and publish a second edition also at Rutgers in 1982.
The Japanese edition was published in 1979 in Tokyo, translated by Ichiro Tsukue.
The final version
A dictionary of words about alcohol, by Mark Keller and Mairi McCormick, was published at the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies in 1968. These two pages illustrate the final version.
The Japanese edition
The Japanese edition of Mark Keller's Alcohol Dictionary was translated by Ichiro Tsukue, and published in 1979 in Tokyo by Diagnostic and Treatment Pub., (xxvii + 431 pp).
Updating the dictionary
Mark Keller continued working on the dictionary project until his death in 1995. He was well aware of the significance: Keller's language initiatives helped scholars from different disciplines communicate with one another and made the field more accessible outside the academy. The Keller Papers contain his personal copy of the first edition of the dictionary already marked up for the second edition, which was published in 1982. Keller used this copy to work on an expanded third edition in the last few years of his life.
Inside cover of the book A dictionary of words about alcohol, by Mark Keller and Mairi McCormick
The first edition of the dictionary was published in 1968. Heavily marked up by Keller, this copy contains revisions and corrections to a third edition. The inside includes Mark Keller's signature and his comment: "This copy has a lot of notations relevant to the revisions made in 1979 but by no means indicates all the revisions . . . MK."
Pages from A dictionary of words about alcohol, by Mark Keller and Mairi McCormick
Part of the donation of the Mark Keller Papers, this copy of the first edition of the dictionary, published in 1968, is heavily marked up on all pages, demonstrating that Keller worked on the dictionary project until his death. A copy of the second edition was also marked up by Mairi McCormick and sent to Keller in 1992 in preparation for the third edition.
As shown in his handwritten instruction sheets in the Keller Papers, Mark Keller meticulously revised the various versions of the typed manuscript, leaving behind extensive documentation of this collaborative work.
Corrections, page 2
Corrections, page 3
The Mark Keller Papers contain proof that Keller was constantly revising the dictionary. Documenting various phases of the project, handwritten revisions and corrections to the two editions as well as copious notes and correspondence indicate that a third edition was in the works, too.