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    Fundamentals of English Lexicography

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    Евгения Хвостенко
    The document discusses several key aspects of lexicography including the history and types of dictionaries, the main problems faced in lexicography, and influential lexicographers such as Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster. It provides details on the evolution of dictionaries from early bilingual Latin-English books to modern comprehensive works like the Oxford English Dictionary. The main challenges highlighted are problems of word selection, dictionary entry structure, and creating accurate definitions.

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    Fundamentals of English Lexicography

    Uploaded by

    Евгения Хвостенко
    182 views51 pages
    The document discusses several key aspects of lexicography including the history and types of dictionaries, the main problems faced in lexicography, and influential lexicographers such as Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster. It provides details on the evolution of dictionaries from early bilingual Latin-English books to modern comprehensive works like the Oxford English Dictionary. The main challenges highlighted are problems of word selection, dictionary entry structure, and creating accurate definitions.

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    Lexicography

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    The document discusses several key aspects of lexicography including the history and types of dictionaries, the main problems faced in lexicography, and influential lexicographers such as Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster. It provides details on the evolution of dictionaries from early bilingual Latin-English books to modern comprehensive works like the Oxford English Dictionary. The main challenges highlighted are problems of word selection, dictionary entry structure, and creating accurate definitions.

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    182 views51 pages

    Fundamentals of English Lexicography

    Uploaded by

    Евгения Хвостенко
    The document discusses several key aspects of lexicography including the history and types of dictionaries, the main problems faced in lexicography, and influential lexicographers such as Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster. It provides details on the evolution of dictionaries from early bilingual Latin-English books to modern comprehensive works like the Oxford English Dictionary. The main challenges highlighted are problems of word selection, dictionary entry structure, and creating accurate definitions.

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    Fundamentals

    of English
    Lexicography
    Key words
    ► Lexicography ► Thesaurus
    ► Dictionary ► Glossary
    ► Unilingual D ► Concordance
    ► Bilingual D
    ► Lexicon
    ► Multilingual D
    ► LinguisticD
    ► Diachronic D
    ► Non-linguistic D
    ► Synchronic D
    ► Samuel Johnson
    ► General D
    ► Special D ► Noah Webster
    Dictionaries are like watches: the
    worst is better than none, and
    the best cannot be expected to
    go quite true.

    - Samuel Johnson
    Lexicography is a branch of
    applied linguistics dealing with
    theory and practice of compiling
    dictionaries.
    A dictionary is a reference book
    listings words of a language
    alphabetically with their meanings
    and part of speech and often with
    data concerning accepted
    pronunciation, syllabification, usage,
    and origin.
    Dictionary is the universe
    in alphabetical order.

    - Anatole France,
    novelist,
    essayist, Nobel laureate
    (1844-1924)
    Principal Types
    of Contemporary E Ds

     unilingual;
     bilingual;
     multilingual
    ►Unilingual
    (explanatory) D

    ►Words and their


    definitions belong
    to the same
    language.
    Types of Unilingual Ds

    ►1. diachronic: reflect the


    development of the English
    vocabulary by recording the history of
    form and meaning for every word;
    ►2. synchronic (descriptive): deal
    with present-day meaning and usage
    of words.
    ►Bilingual
    (translation) D

    ►Explains words by
    giving their
    equivalents in
    another
    language.
    ►Multilingual
    (polyglot) D

    ►Compares
    synonyms and
    terminology in
    various
    languages.
    Ds can be
    ►1. general;
    ►2. special.
    General Ds represent the
    vocabulary as a whole.

    ►frequency D
    ►rhyming D
    ►Thesaurus
    ►(from Latin
    thesaurus –
    “treasury”)
    ►general D
    ►contains
    systematized lists
    of synonyms or
    related words
    ►or
    ►D of selected
    words or topics.
    Special Ds are aimed at covering
    only a certain specific part of the
    vocabulary.
    Special Ds may be further
    subdivided depending on

     sphere of human activity (technical


    Ds);
     type of units (phraseological Ds);
     relationships between them (Ds of
    synonyms).
    ►Glossary (gloss)
    ►alphabetical list of terms peculiar to
    a field of knowledge with definitions
    or explanations.
    ►Concordance
    ►records the complete
    vocabulary of some
    author or a literary
    work,
    ►often with the
    immediate context
    and an account of
    the meaning.
    ►Lexicon
    ►D of an ancient
    language
    ►such as Greek
    or Hebrew.
    ► Reference book
    ► supplies certain
    professional or
    special data.
    Ds may be
    ► 1. linguistic;
    ► 2. non-linguistic,
    ► the encyclopaedias
    ► giving information on all
    branches of knowledge.
    ► Deal not with words,
    ► but with facts and
    concepts:
    ► The Encyclopaedia
    Britannica,
    ► Wikipedia, etc.
    ►Computer Ds
    ►specific problems,
    different from
    those presented
    by bilingual Ds for
    human
    translation.
    The History of
    British
    Lexicography
    ►Bilingual Latin-English or English-Latin
    books
    ►Old English period
    ►glosses of religious books with
    interlinear translation from Latin

    ►Readers of the Bible (mostly monks)


    explained Latin words with Anglo-
    Saxon equivalents.
    The words there were first arranged
    not alphabetically, but as they
    appeared in the text, and only later,
    according to initial letters.
    One of the earliest
    unilingual English Ds
    (1604): A Table
    Alphabetical, containing
    and teaching the true
    writing and
    understanding of hard
    usual English words
    borrowed from the
    Hebrew, Greek, Latin or
    French by Robert
    Cawdrey, a
    schoolmaster.
    ► Only borrowed
    words from
    Greek, Latin, and
    French.
    ►120 pages
    ►About 3,000
    words.
    Reason
    for emerging of bilingual Ds
    ►Development of economic and
    trade relations of nations
    ►Renaissance period
    First big explanatory D

    Dr. Samuel Johnson’s A D


    of the English Language
    in Which the Words are
    Deduced from Their
    Originals and Illustrated
    in Their General
    Significations by
    Examples from the Best
    Writers: In 2 volumes
    (1755).
    ►Innovation:
    ►introduction of
    illustrations of the
    word meanings by
    examples from the
    best writers.

    ►Pronunciation was
    not marked.
    ►I hate mankind,
    for I think myself
    one of the best of
    them, and I know
    how bad I am.

    ►- Samuel Johnson
    ► Thefirst pronouncing
    D: by Th. Sheridan,
    (1780).

    ► Then A Critical
    Pronouncing D and
    Expositor of the English
    Language (1791) by
    John Walker, an actor.

    ► Walker’s pronunciation
    units were inserted into
    Johnson’s D.
    The Golden Age of English
    lexicography began in the last
    quarter of the 19th century.
    Oxford English Dictionary
    ► Printed editions:
    ► 1928 (12 volumes
    + 3 volumes of
    Supplement of new
    words);
    ► 1989 (20 volumes).

    ► NewOED (project)
    – 2037.
    The History of
    American
    Lexicography
    ►First American D of the E
    language
    ►by Samuel Johnson, Jr.
    ►different one
    ►Connecticut schoolmaster
    ►1798
    ►A School D.
    Noah Webster
    (1758-1843)
    ►Father of American
    lexicography.

    ►Believed in
    establishing cultural
    independence from
    Britain.

    ►Emphasized a distinct
    American spelling and
    pronunciation.
    Noah Webster
    ►According to reports, more
    British and Australian children
    spell "color" instead of "colour".

    ►Webster's suggestion of using


    "tung" instead of "tongue" did
    not stuck.
    Noah Webster

    ► In the latest editions of Webster’s


    International D of the English
    Language not Americanisms, but
    Britishisms are marked.
    ► Famous for introducing
    encyclopaedic information which
    later became a tradition in American
    lexicography.
    Noah Webster

    ►Webster's name is synonymous


    with dictionaries.

    ►His birthday, October 16, is


    observed as Dictionary Day.
    ►After Webster’s
    death, the rights
    were purchased by
    G. and Ch. Merriam.

    ►Merriam-Webster
    Main Problems
    in Lexicography

    ►Lexicographyis hard.
    ►Otherwise no one would need a
    dictionary.
    ►Meaning and use would be obvious.
    Main Problems
    in Lexicography

    ►Eight parts of speech are not enough.


    ►But
    ►Conjunction?
    ►“What can they do but try?”
    ►Preposition?
    Main Problems
    in Lexicography

    ►problem of selection;
    ►problem of structure and content of a
    dictionary entry;
    ►problem of definitions in a unilingual D.
    Problem of Selection

    ►1. Should a general D give the


    historical information about a word?

    ►2. Selection between scientific and


    technical terms as a D should not be
    too massive;
    Problem of Selection
    ►3. Should a unilingual D try to cover all
    the words of the language, including
    neologisms, nonce-words, slang, etc.?

    ►4. Which of the units should have


    separate entries and which should be
    placed under a common head-word?
    Problem of Structure and
    Content of a Dictionary Entry

    Different types of Ds:

    ►1. historical;
    ►2. descriptive, synchronic.
    A historical D deals with the
    development of the English vocabulary
    and arranges meanings
    chronologically: first comes
    etymology, then the earliest meanings
    marked by obs. - obsolete.

    The development is illustrated by


    quotations, ranging from the oldest to
    recent usages of the word in question.
    A descriptive D deals with current
    usage of words.

    The problem lies in defining


    precedence of the most important
    meanings.

    Is frequency an objective criterion?


    Problem of Definitions
    in a Unilingual D

    Explanation may be given by


    synonyms, but no absolute synonyms
    exist.
    Problem of Definitions
    in a Unilingual D
    Better to give a definition:

    ►1. linguistic – concerned with words


    as speech material only;
    ►2. encyclopaedic – concerned with
    things for which the words are
    names.

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