Lexicography : an Introduction Author : Jackson, Howard
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title : Lexicography : An Introduction author : Jackson, Howard. publisher : Taylor & Francis Routledge isbn10 | asin : print isbn13 : 9780203467282 ebook isbn13 : 9780585462134 language : English subject Lexicography. publication date : 2002 lcc : P327.J33 2002eb ddc : 413/.028 subject : Lexicography. Page i Lexicography This book is an accessible introduction to lexicography – the study of dictionaries. We rely on dictionaries to provide us with definitions of words, and to tell us how to spell them. They are used at home and at school, cited in law courts, sermons and parliament, and referred to by crossword addicts and scrabble players alike. But why are dictionaries structured as they are? What types of dictionary exist, and what purposes do they serve? Who uses a dictionary, and for what? Lexicography: An Introduction provides a detailed overview of the history, types and content of these essential reference works. Howard Jackson analyses a wide range of dictionaries, from those for native speakers to thematic dictionaries and learners’ dictionaries, including those on CD-ROM, to reveal the ways in which dictionaries fulfil their dual function of describing the vocabulary of English and providing a useful and accessible reference resource. Beginning with an introduction to the terms used in lexicology to describe words and vocabulary, and offering summaries and suggestions for further reading, Lexicography: An Introduction is concise and student-friendly. It is ideal for anyone with an interest in the development and use of dictionaries. Howard Jackson is Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Central England. His publications include Grammar and Vocabulary (Routledge, 2002), Words and their Meaning (Longman, 1988), and Words, Meaning and Vocabulary (Cassell, 2000). Page ii This page intentionally left blank. Page iii Lexicography An introduction Howard Jackson London and New York Page iv First published 2002 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. © 2002 Howard Jackson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record has been requested ISBN 0-203-46728-0 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-24660-8 (OEB Format) ISBN 0-415-23172-8 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-23173-6 (pbk) Page v Contents Preface vii Dictionaries cited ix 1 Words 1 2 Facts about words 10 3 The dictionary 21 4 The beginnings 31 5 The New English Dictionary 47 6 Up to the present 61 7 Users and uses 74 8 Meaning in dictionaries 86 9 Beyond definition 101 10 Etymology 117 11 Dictionaries for learners 129 12 Abandoning the alphabet 145 13 Compiling dictionaries 161 14 Criticising dictionaries 173 References 184 Index 189 Page vi This page intentionally left blank. Page vii Preface Much has happened, both in respect of the making of dictionaries and in respect of their academic study, in the twelve or so years since my previous book on dictionaries (Words and Their Meaning, Longman, 1988). Then, the ‘corpus revolution’ (Rundell and Stock 1992) had only just begun – Words and Their Meaning just managed to catch the first (1987) edition of the Collins COBUILD English Dictionary. Now virtually all dictionaries published in the UK make some claim to have used a computer corpus in their compilation. Not only have learners’ dictionaries developed by leaps and bounds – the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary was in its third edition then, now in its sixth, and the Cambridge International Dictionary of English was still a long way off – but native speaker dictionaries have also seen significant developments – the publication of the New Oxford Dictionary of English in 1998, as well as three editions of the Concise Oxford, not to mention the second edition of the great OED in 1989 and the beginning of the massive revision that will result in the third edition, planned for 2010. Dictionaries have also appeared during the period in electronic format, notably as CD- ROMs, opening up new possibilities, not only in how dictionaries can be used and exploited, but also in how dictionary material can be organised and presented. Dictionaries are also accessible online, through the internet, including the OED, enabling subscribers to view the revisions that will constitute the third edition, as they are posted quarterly. The study of lexicography has also developed and flourished during the last dozen years. They saw the launch of the highly successful International Journal of Lexicography in 1988, for the first ten years under the editorship of Robert Ilson, and latterly that of Tony Cowie. The mighty three-volume Encyclopedia of Lexicography (Hausmann et al. 1989– 91) delineated the state of the art, and the Dictionary of Lexicography (Hartmann and James 1998) mapped the territory. More recently, Reinhard Hartmann’s Teaching and Researching Lexicography (2001) has set the agenda for the business of academic lexicography. And Sidney Landau has updated his readable Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography (second edition, 2001) with its transatlantic perspective. It is time for a new treatment of the subject in the UK. I am grateful to Louisa Semlyen and to Routledge for taking this on. The book is dedicated to all the Page viii final-year students who have enabled me to develop the material by taking my ‘Lexicography’ module on the English degree at the University of Central England in Birmingham over more years than I care to recall. Howard Jackson Birmingham August 2001 Page ix Dictionaries cited The following dictionaries are mentioned in the course of this book. (Note: a superscript number, e.g. 19882, refers to the edition; in this case, the second edition published in 1988.) Native speaker dictionaries Chambers English Dictionary, (19887) edited by Catherine Schwarz, George Davidson, Anne Seaton and Virginia Tebbit. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1996) edited by Mairi Robinson. Collins Concise Dictionary (1982; 19882; 19923; 19994, edited by Diana Treffry). Collins English Dictionary (1979 edited by Patrick Hanks, 19862 edited by Patrick Hanks, 1991/943 edited by Marian Makins, 19984 edited by Diana Treffry). Concise Oxford Dictionary (1911 edited by H.G. and F.W. Fowler, 19292, 19343, 19514, 19645, 19766, 19827, 19908, 19959, 199910 edited by Judy Pearsall). Encarta Concise English Dictionary (2001) edited by Kathy Rooney, Bloomsbury. Longman Dictionary of the English Language (1984, 19912 edited by Brian O’Kill). A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (1888–1928) edited by James Murray, Henry Bradley, W.A. Craigie and C.T. Onions. New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) edited by Judy Pearsall. Oxford English Dictionary (1933 edited by James Murray et al., 19892 edited by John Simpson and Edmund Weiner). The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (1993) edited by Lesley Brown. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language (1961) edited by Philip Gove. Monolingual learners’ dictionaries Cambridge Dictionary of American English (2000) edited by Sidney Landau. Cambridge International Dictionary of English (1995) edited by Paul Proctor. Collins COBUILD English Dictionary (1987, 19952, 20013) edited by John Sinclair. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1978 edited by Paul Proctor, 19872 edited by Della Summers and M. Rundell, 19953 edited by Della Summers). Page x Longman Language Activator (1993) edited by Della Summers. Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English (1981) compiled by Tom McArthur. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (1948 edited by A.S. Hornby, E.V. Gatenby and H. Wakefield; 19632 edited by A.S. Hornby, E.V. Gatenby and H. Wakefield; 19743 edited by A.S. Hornby, with A.P. Cowie and J. Windsor Lewis; 19894 edited by A.P. Cowie, 19955 edited by Jonathan Crowther; 20006 edited by Sally Wehmeier). Thematic dictionaries A Thesaurus of Old English (1995) compiled by Jane Roberts and Christian Kay, with Lynne Grundy. Longman Dictionary of Scientific Usage (1979) compiled by A. Godman and E.M.F. Payne. Longman Language Activator (1993) edited by Della Summers. Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English (1981) compiled by Tom McArthur. Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (1852), Longmans, Green and Co. The Scots Thesaurus (1990), edited by Iseabail McLeod. Abbreviations In order to save space, dictionaries regularly cited will usually be referred to in the course of the book by the following abbreviations: CCD – Collins Concise Dictionary CED – Collins English Dictionary Chambers – Chambers English Dictionary CIDE – Cambridge International Dictionary of English COBUILD – Collins COBUILD English Dictionary COD – Concise Oxford Dictionary ECED – Encarta Concise English Dictionary LDEL – Longman Dictionary of the English Language LDOCE – Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English NODE – New Oxford Dictionary of English OALD – Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary OED – Oxford English Dictionary SOED – Shorter Oxford English Dictionary W3 – Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. Where the abbreviation is followed by a number, e.g. COD8, the number refers to the edition, i.e. Concise Oxford Dictionary, eighth edition. Page 1 1 Words 1.1 What is a word? You take a dictionary off the shelf, or access a dictionary on your computer, and open it because you want to look up a ‘word’. Dictionaries are the repositories of words. Words are arranged in dictionaries in alphabetical order, and as you look down the column in a print dictionary or the list in an electronic dictionary, you are reading a list of words.