1、Chapter Nine vEnglish DictionaryIntroduction vDictionary for English-speaking people is 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.vIt is closely related to lexicology
2、,which deals with the same problems:the form,meaning,usage and origins of vocabulary units.vdifferent types of English dictionaries,their contents and characteristics and use of dictionaries.Types of Dictionaries vMonolingual DictionariesvBilingual DictionariesvLinguistic Dictionaries vEncyclopedic
3、DictionariesvUnabridged Dictionaries vDesk DictionariesvPocket DictionariesvSpecialized DictionariesMonolingual dictionaries vMonolingual dictionaries are written in one language.That is the headword or entries are defined and illustrated in the same language.The monolingual dictionary is rather a l
4、ate development because the earliest dictionaries were all bilingual.The target population of monolingual dictionaries are general native speakers or second language and foreign learners who have reached the intermediate and advanced stages.LDCE and CCELD published in Britain are both monolingual di
5、ctionaries.Bilingual dictionaries vBilingual dictionaries involve two languages.The main entries are generally defined or explained in the same language with translations as Oxford Advanced learners Dictionary of Current English with Chinese Translation,Or rather the headwords are defined in another
6、 language or given their foreign equivalents.A good example is A New English-Chinese Dictionary and the like.Another kind of bilingual dictionary is A Chinese-English Dictionary(1995),in which the Chinese words and expressions are translated into English.Linguistic dictionaries vLinguistic dictionar
7、ies aim at defining words and explaining their usages in the language.They usually cover such areas as spelling,pronunciation,meaning,grammatical function,usage and etymology,etc.These dictionaries can be monolingual and bilingual.Encyclopedic dictionaries vEncyclopedic dictionaries can be further d
8、ivided into encyclopedia and encyclopedic dictionaries.v An encyclopedia is not concerned with the language per se but provides encyclopedic information concerning each headword.There the reader cannot find pronunciation or meanings or usages but other information.The well-known ones are The Encyclo
9、pedia Britannica in 20 volumes and The Encyclopedia Americana in 30 volumes.Encyclopedic dictionaries vEncyclopedic dictionaries have the characteristics of both linguistic dictionaries and encyclopedia.vIn such dictionaries one can fine the general information as in a linguistic dictionary and limi
10、ted encyclopedic information as well.vthe entries have a wider coverage including names,histories events and the like.vChambers Encyclopedic English Dictionary Unabridged dictionaries vAs the name indicates,an unabridged dictionary is an unshortened one.Theoretically,it is a complete record of all t
11、he words in use.vsuch a dictionary is the most complete description of words available to us.vIt provides a great quantity of basic information about a word v The best-known unabridged dictionary is Websters Third New International Dictionary and The Word Book Dictionary The Word Book Dictionary v I
12、t contains 220,000 entries in two volumes.Its definitions are simple and clear,most with quotations and their sources.In addition,it includes synonym study sections which differentiate synonyms and discuss their usages.The supplementary matter which provides useful information concerning different r
13、espects of use of language make up over 100 pages.Desk dictionaries vDesk dictionaries are medium-sized ones containing words ranging from 50,000 to 150,000.vBritish dictionaries:The Concise Oxford Dictionary,Ninth Edition(1996),Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary,3rd Edition(1980),Longman Dictionar
14、y of Contemporary English,New Edition(1987)vAmerican desk dictionaries:Websters New World Dictionary,2nd college Edition(1980),and Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary(1983).Pocket dictionaries vThese dictionaries have about 50,000 entries or fewer.Such a dictionary provides only the spelling an
15、d pronunciation of each word with a few most common meanings.They contain only a few or no examples.Their advantages are being inexpensive and easy to carry.For someone who needs a dictionary by their side to check spelling,or the meaning of an occasional word from his/her reading,a pocket dictionar
16、y can be good.Specialized Dictionaries vSpecial dictionaries concentrate on a particular area of language or knowledge,treating such diverse topics as etymology,synonyms,idioms,pronunciation,usages in language,and computer,engineering,literature and a variety of other subjects.These dictionaries may
17、 not be very large in size,yet each contains much more detailed information on the subject than you can find in a general unabridged one.Specialized Dictionaries vAmong the well-known specialized dictionaries:vThe Oxford Dictionary of English EtymologyvPractical English UsagevCollins COBUILD English
18、 UsagevLongman Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs,by Rosemary CourtneyvOxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English vWebsters New Dictionary of SynonymsvLongman Lexicon of Contemporary EnglishSpelling vIt gives the accepted spelling for all words,including any alternate spellings in bigger dictionaries w
19、ith the standard first followed by their variants.vIn a British dictionary,the first spelling form is naturally British followed by the American(if any)vone can find the different forms of irregular verbs;various forms of irregular adjectives;forms of compounds;and syllabication of wordsvThis will g
20、uide the user in correct spelling and style.Pronunciation vBritish and American dictionaries present their respective standard pronunciation.In some,one can find the British followed by American or vice versa.Some dictionaries provide variants,with the first preferable.But the systems of marking dif
21、fer considerably.British dictionaries generally use IPA,American ones employ Websters systems.Whatever systems the editors use,there will be guides or pronunciation keys given before the main body of the dictionary or at the foot of the page.To get correct pronunciation,one should refer to the guide
22、s and keys.Definition vThe main body of a dictionary is its definitions of words.vSome dictionaries list meanings chronologically;Most desk dictionaries probably arrange literal uses before figurative,general uses before figurative,general uses before special,common uses before rare,and easily under
23、standable uses before difficult.vThe approach to definition differs too from one to another.DefinitionvGenerally,words are defined in phrasal explanations,synonyms,illustrative sentences,and even with pictures to make meanings clear.We also find definition given in full sentences vSome use a control
24、led vocabulary to make definitions easy to understand vMost contemporary medium-sized dictionaries give context to illustrate the meaning and usageUsage vMost desk dictionaries provide usage information for example:(1)usage level:standard,substandard,non-standard,illiterate;(2)style:formal,informal,
25、colloquial,slang,biblical,poetic;(3)currency:old-fashioned,archaic,obsolete;(4)register:law,chemistry,medicine,BrE,AmE;(5)coloring:appreciative,derogatory,euphemism,humor,pompous,and others.vThese will serve as a guide for learners of English in language use and help learners to use words correctly
26、and appropriately.Grammar vApart from the usual coverage of word classes and inflections,dictionaries include various amounts of grammar information.ALD,CCELD and LDCE are all good examples.They supply a good system of verb patterns which are arranged as supplementary material before the main body(A
27、LD)or located properly in the main text(LDCE)or in an extra column alongside each sense of word in the main body(CCELD).This will also be of great help to users.Usage notes and language notes vUsage notes explain the slight differences between words of similar meanings;difficult points of grammar an
28、d style;important British and American differences;pragmatic use of words such as the suggestive meaning or attitude that cannot be known simply by understanding the literal meaning of the words,all these are difficult areas of vocabulary learning.Usage notes and language notes vOn top of this are l
29、anguage notes,which give an extensive treatment of a number of key areas of language use,covering topics like Collocations,Articles,Idioms as in LDCE and special entries like Title,Name,Age and Date as in CCELD.Each is an extended discussion of the area at issue.These form an important component par
30、t of language use and can be very helpful.Etymological information vMost American desk dictionaries and some British ones give information concerning the origins of words.A little knowledge of etymology may help deepen our understanding of the meanings of words.This is particularly valuable to resea
31、rchers and language professionals.Supplementary matter vBesides words and their definitions,most dictionaries include some of the following information:Abbreviations,Names,Weights and Measures,Irregular verbs,Word-building elements,etc.Such encyclopedic information is often help and convenient.In many cases,this saves the trouble of going to a specialized dictionary.
