In this interview, I sat down with Dr. Paul Schleifer, an English professor who specializes in English as a spoken language. I asked him various questions about Samuel Johnson and his influence in lexicography and the Oxford English Dictionary. In this video, I asked Dr. Schleifer if he agrees that the writers of the OED should have stuck to Johnson’s tactic of referencing strong literary works and professionals rather than allowing common folk to contribute to their dictionary. Dr. Schleifer begins by referencing the criticism that Shakespeare could not have written his plays because he did not have the proper education to do so. He believes that this is an elitist mindset, and it is ridiculous to believe that someone is not intelligent enough to accomplish great things if they do not have a higher education. Dr. Schleifer says that he believes that anyone can do the work to become an intellectual. He says that you cannot just do something such as make a dictionary with just elites. He says that the notion that the OED was wrong to do this is offensive.