英语词典15讲

null..【P320】第15单元 English DictionaryWhat factors should be taken into consideration in choosing a dictionary? To be continuedWhat is a dictionary? What is a dictionary? A book which presents in alphabetical order the words of English, with information as to their spelling, pronunciation, meaning, usage, rules of grammar, and in some their etymology. It is closely related to lexicology: Lexicology use the raw material collected in dictionaries in their studies; whereas lexicographers employ the findings of lexicologists in dictionary-making .What is the earliest English dictionary? What is the earliest English dictionary? The forerunners of modern English dictionary appeared as early as the Anglo-Saxon period. While reading Latin manuscripts, people noted down in the margins the earlier Latin or English synonyms for some of the more difficult Latin words on the page, Later, for the sake of convenience these words and definitions were collected into lists called glossaries. To be continuedWhat is the first real dictionary? What is the first real dictionary? It was not until the 17th century , when printing was well established, that the first real English dictionaries of importance appeared, for they defined English words in term of other English words. Different from our modern dictionaries, they dealt with only “hard words”. Thus we know that dictionaries should focus on those words which people unlikely to know. Modern English dictionariesModern English dictionariesThe first complete dictionary was Nathaniel Bailey’s A Universal Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, with the first edition appeared in 1721. It was about the etymology of English words. It was so influential that it served as a model for many to come. Rumor had it that it was on the basis of Bailey’s 1731 edition, that Samuel Johnson compiles his dictionary. Who was Samuel Johnson ?Who was Samuel Johnson ?Samuel Johnson’s famous A Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755. Single-handed, except for the aid of six scribes, he produced a book of 2,300 pages in two volumes, containing about 40,000 entries. It was the most comprehensive dictionary, with extensive etymologies and with clear and complete definitions. Johnson’s purpose was to preserve the purity of English, as used by Dryden, Pope, Addison and his contemporaries. Johnson tried to ‘fix and regulate English’ in spelling, pronunciation and usage. The Oxford English Dictionary in 1928 The Oxford English Dictionary in 1928 Its original name is ‘A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles’. It has 13 volumes of 16500 pages, containing over 414000definitons. It is a book which attempts scientifically to record the history and development of every printed words in the language from the time of King Alfred to the current date of publication. It is of great value for the use of scholar and linguists. Any others? Any others? The success of OED encouraged the publication of Oxford series of dictionaries of small scope, such as The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English… Since WWII, lexicographers shifted their attention to pedagogical or learner’s dictionaries. The well-known ones are Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English Dictionary and so onDo Americans have Dictionary? Do Americans have Dictionary? Curious enough, the first American dictionary of the English language was compiled by a Connecticut school teacher called, by coincidence, Samuel Johnson, only tagged by Junior. It was a school dictionary published by 1789. The truly comparable dictionary was published by Noah Webster in 1828, called An American Dictionary of the English Language. It is a two-volume edition of 70000entries , pointing out differences between American and British usage and meaning. After his death the right of the dictionary were sold to George and Charles Merriam and the book was again revised and published in a condensed edition, thus making the name of Webster a household word. How many kinds of dictionaries are there? How many kinds of dictionaries are there? Monoligual dictionary Bilingual dictionary : A New English and Chinese Dictionary Linguistic and Encyclopaedic Dictionary Specialized Dictionary :Dictionary of Idioms Desk dictionary and pocket dictionary…What is the purpose of a dictionary? What is the purpose of a dictionary? It provides spelling, meaning, pronunciation, usage, etc… It provides various forms of a word, thus a useful grammar book . It provides respective standard pronunciations of both AE and BE, with the first preferable . The main purpose of a dictionary is its definition of words, and senses of words are arranged in different ways, some in chronologically. A good reader may find a dictionary an inexhaustible source of help and a best teacher. A good reader may find a dictionary an inexhaustible source of help and a best teacher. Abbreviations; Proper names Units of weight and measures Irregular verbs Anyhow their value depend on the users rather than the books themselves. null