4. Classification of dictionaries

Dictionary makers do not by themselves decide what words mean or how they should be pronounced and spelled – it is a result of careful scientific research. The dictionary records the customary language practice. Common reader turns to a dictionary for information about the spelling, pronunciation, meaning and proper use of words. Dictionary is a book that gives a list of words in alphabetical order, with their meanings in the same or other language, e.g. The Pocket Oxford Russian-English English-Russian Dictionary; Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture; Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary; Chalker S. Collins COBUILD English Guides: Linking Words.

There are many different types of English dictionaries. First of all they may be divided into two main groups: encyclopedic (describe objects, phenomena, people, etc. and give information about them) and linguistic (describe words, their origin and usage).

The most well known encyclopedias in English are Encyclopaedia Britannica in 30 volumes and Encyclopaedia Americana in 30 volumes. Very popular in Britain and the USA are Encyclopedia International (20 volumes); World Almanac and Book of Facts; The New Century Cyclopedia of Names (3 volumes); Who’s Who (dictionaries presenting information about notable people); Cambridge History of English Literature; Oxford Companion to the Theatre; The Harvard Dictionary of Music, etc.

4. Main types of linguistic dictionaries of the English language

A linguistic dictionary is a book of wоrds in a language usually listed alphabetically with pronunciation, definitions, etymologies, peculiarities of use and other information or with their equivalents in another language (or other languages). The main function of a dictionary is to give the meanings of words.

Linguistic dictionaries are classified according to different criteria.

1. According to the nature of the word-list dictionaries are divided into restricted and unrestricted. Restricted dictionary represents words of a certain part of the vocabulary (phraseological and terminological dictionaries, dictionaries of new words, of foreign words, of abbreviations, dialectal dictionaries, etc.), e.g. A.V. Kunin’s English-Russian Phraseological Dictionary; The English Dialect Dictionary by Joseph Wright; English-Russian Dictionary of Modern Abbreviations; The Oxford Dictionary of New Words; Ellmore R.T. Mass Media Dictionary; Zhdanova I.F. Short Russian-English Business Dictionary. Phraseological dictionary describes idioms, saying and proverbs, e.g. Simpson J. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. Unrestricted dictionary contains lexical units from various spheres of life, it is unrestricted in word-list and general in the information it contains e.g. The Oxford English Dictionary; The New English-Russian Dictionary (edited by prof. I.R. Galperin).

2. According to the information given about each item linguistic dictionaries fall into general and special (or specialized). General dictionary represents the vocabulary as a whole. It presents a wide range of data about the vocabulary items in ordinary use (explanatory dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, word-frequency dictionaries, etc.), e.g. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary; The English-Russian Dictionary (by prof. V. K. Müller); The Russian-English Dictionary (under prof. A. I. Smirnitsky’s general direction). Special (or specialized) dictionary provides information to one particular aspect (dictionaries of synonyms, of slang, etymological dictionaries, pronouncing dictionaries, usage dictionaries, e.g. Webster’s New Dictionary of Synonyms; Maxwell C. Richard A. Spears. Slang and Euphemisms; the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (by C. Onions). Pronouncing dictionary records contemporary pronunciation, e.g. Jones D. Everyman’s English Pronouncing Dictionary. Dictionary of (perfect) spelling contains contemporary spelling, e.g. The Pergamon Oxford Dictionary of Perfect Spelling. Word-frequency dictionary informs the user as to the frequency of occurrence of words in speech, e.g. A Deskbook of Most Frequent English Collocations. Etymological dictionary traces present-day words to the oldest forms of these words and in case of borrowings points out the source of borrowing, e.g. Skeat W.W. Etymological English Dictionary.

3. In accordance with the language in which information is given dictionaries may be monolingual, bilingual and polyglot. In monolingual dictionary information is given in the same language, e.g. Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary. Bilingual (or translation) dictionary contains vocabulary items in one language and their equivalents in another language, e.g. the New English-Russian Dictionary edited by Prof. I. R. Galperin. In polyglot dictionary information is given in several languages (more than two), e.g. ABBYY Lingvo 10 (многоязычный электронный словарь).

4. According to the intended user there are learner’s dictionaries and those designed for the general public. Learner’s dictionary are for foreign language learners, e.g. Webster’s New Elementary Dictionary; Heaton J.B. Turton N.D. Longman Dictionary of Common Errors.

Besides these types now there exist the so-called cultural dictionaries. They combine their information of two types both encyclopedic and linguistic dictionaries, e.g. Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture.

And finally there are ideographic: pictorial dictionaries and thesaurus. Pictorial dictionary is an ideographic dictionary, containing graphic illustrations to all topics, e.g. The Oxford-Duden Pictorial English Dictionary. Thesaurus is an ideographic dictionary, containing lexical units (synonyms, antonyms, associated and related words) that are put in groups together according to connections between their meanings and common topic (rather than in alphabetical order), e.g. Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. A thesaurus suggests a range of words and phrases associated with an idea. For example, under word “Amusement” are given words such as: fun, frolic, merriment, whoopee, jollity, joviality, laughter.

Thus, there are a number of different kinds of dictionaries, depending upon the purposes for which they are designed. A modern dictionary is intended to give a sufficient detailed description of the English vocabulary in its present state, and it can be useful to translators, teachers, students, and, in general, to all who use English in their academic and practical work.

SEMINAR 9

KEY TERMS

lexicography dictionary

lexicon usage

volume vocabulary

glossary definition

linguistic dictionary thesaurus

restricted dictionary unrestricted dictionary

general dictionary special dictionary

monolingual dictionary bilingual dictionary

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION AND EXERCISES

1. Lexicography as a branch of linguistics.

2. The history of British and American lexicography.

3. The classification of dictionaries.

4. Linguistic dictionaries of the English language.

5. Explain the principal uses of each of the following: a) an encyclopedia: b) a thesaurus.

6. Electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias; on-line dictionaries.

1. Write the answers to the following questions using a dictionary.

1) What is the title of the dictionary?

2) Who is the publisher? Who is its editor?

3) Where was it published, and when?

4) How many words and phrases does the dictionary contain?

5) To what type of dictionaries does the word-book under analysis belong?

6) Examine the table of contents. What is the title of the longest part of the

dictionary?

7) Are there any special articles on the grammar, the abbreviations used in the

dictionary, etc.?

8) Does the dictionary distinguish British and American variants in spelling,

pronunciation and meaning?

2. Look up the answers to the following questions:

1) How many different meanings are given in your dictionary for the word run?

2) Find synonyms for the word cowardly.

3) What is the meaning of the abbreviation UNESCO?

3. Prepare presentation about: a) a dictionary of the English language of your choice according to the scheme: its history, its editors, dictionary structure, structure of word entry (словарная статья); b) the father of American lexicography Noah Webster and his dictionaries; c) modern The Oxford English Dictionary (in 12 volumes).

Test

1. Lexicography is a science dealing with:

a) studying words

b) word formation

c) communication

d) compiling dictionaries

2. The father of British lexicography was:

a) Samuel Johnson

b) Charles Dickens

c) Nathaniel Bailey

d) George Canon

3. The father of American lexicography was:

a) Samuel Johnson

b) Noah Webster

c) Ernest Hemingway

d) John Walker

4. The dictionaries of the series bearing the name A.S. Hornby are for:

a) foreign language learners

b) general public

c) perfect spelling

d) specific pronunciation

5. The Oxford English Dictionary includes:

a) 150,000 entries

b) 250,000 entries

c) 350,000 entries

d) 450,000 entries

6. What is the synonym to the word lexicon?

a) word

b) entry

c) vocabulary

d) lexeme