History

The History of Dictionaries on ehow

"Dictionaries are quickly morphing from large, imposing books to electronic databases that produce results in an instant. But while dictionaries are almost ubiquitous in our modern lives, they have not always been so. In fact, dictionaries have a long, distinguished history in all languages, but especially in English. Knowing more about the fluid and changing uses of dictionaries in history may help you appreciate, or at least tolerate, some of the 'new' words being coined today."

A Brief History of English Lexicography

List of English "dictionaries" in history.

History Of The Dictionary on all sands

"English language dictionaries comprise a sub-chapter in the history of the English language, which was born in the 5th Century A.D. with the invasion of England by Germanic tribes. As the Germanic conquerors remained in England, the language of one of them eventually prevailed; Anglisc, and so the language of the Angle tribe became the progenitor of the language we speak today."

English dictionaries

"It is worth noting well that English Dictionaries have never been produced by a Government, official body or learned committee. It was always left to enthusiastic eccentrics."

English Dictionary

List of English dictionaries in chronological order.

Dictionaries and Meanings

"This site traces the history of English dictionaries from the 1500s to the present day. You can examine how words change their meaning over time, and how scholars have argued over ideas of 'correct' spellings."

Johnson's Dictionary

The Dictionary of the English Language

"In 1755, Johnson's Dictionary appeared in two large folio volumes. It represented about nine years of work, done almost single-handedly — Johnson had only the assistance of a few amanuenses to copy out the quotations he marked. While he worked on the Dictionary, he also produced the Rambler and his contributions to the Adventurer."

Words count

"Samuel Johnson's Dictionary was published 250 years ago this month. Beryl Bainbridge describes how a failed teacher and celebrated 'hack' worked for nine years in a London garret to redefine the English language - and his reputation."

A Dictionary of the English Language

"Published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language."

Oxford English Dictionary

History of the Dictionary

"The Oxford English Dictionary has been the last word on words for over a century. But, as with a respected professor or admired parent, we count on its wisdom and authority without thinking much about how it was acquired. What is the history of the Oxford English Dictionary? Exploring its origins and development will give new insight into this extraordinary, living document."

A Short History of the OED

"Following an assessment of the shortfalls of the contemporary dictionaries which included incomplete and inconsistent coverage, a project entitled A New English Dictionary on Historic Principles was developed. Known originally as the New English Dictionary, the OED is a comprehensive lexicon of the English language. It is neither the largest nor the earliest dictionary but it has had a significant cultural impact."

Oxford English Dictionary to go all-digital when it’s completed

"80 lexicographers have been working on the dictionary for 21 years, and they are still only 28% complete. That puts the OED 3rd Edition another 50 years away by my reckoning, although Oxford themselves say it’ll only take another ten years."

Oxford English Dictionary 'will not be printed again'

"The next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, the world’s most definitive work on the language, will never be printed because of the impact of the internet on book sales."

The Meaning Of Everything - The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

"Let me get on with the review of this impeccably written book. For Winchester has given us a smasher here. Who would ever, in their right mind, think that the history of the 54 years it took them to create the first Oxford English Dictionary would be such a treat? We're talking of a delightful précis of a project of several lifetimes, where several of the editors up and died before their work was done."

How words get into the dictionary

How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?

"This is one of the questions Merriam-Webster editors are most often asked. The answer is simple: usage."

Is Concept a Verb?

"How to get a word into the dictionary."

How words get into the Oxford English Dictionary

"I have seen the word 'linguaphile' (meaning word lover or language lover) on Dictionary.com and the Free Dictionary, but it's not there in the Oxford English Dictionary. It no longer tries to be comprehensive."

Oxford Standardizes Slang by Adding New Words to the Dictionary

"The Oxford University Press might have just become Stephen Colbert's new BFF. The prestigious publisher added Colbert's 'truthiness' to the New Oxford American Dictionary, according to the list of new dictionary words offered on the OUP blog on September 16, 2010."

How words enter the language

"A student recently e-mailed me to enquire how a word officially becomes part of the English language. He was certain that there must be some formal process involved. Surely, he said, there must be a body such as a group of lexicographers that decides when a word is really a word, as otherwise English would be anarchic."

Online Dictionaries

This is a list of good online dictionaries:

Dictionary.com

"the world's largest and most authoritative online dictionary"

It has spelling and IPA pronunciation; and pronunciation record.

Simple and very clear layout.

Cambridge Dictionary

"the first and last word in dictionaries"

It has a recording of the word spoken by an American and British speaker; and phonetic transcriptions in the IPA.

Fairly simple and clear layout.

Longman Dictionary

"the quickest and easiest way to look up any word while you are working on the web"

It has pronunciation records just for a few words; and phonetic transcriptions in the IPA.

Confusing layout.

Oxford Dictionaries

"The world's most trusted dictionaries"

It has phonetic transcriptions in the IPA.

Very simple and clear layout.

MacMillan Dictionary

"it was created by teams of lexicographers who studied real spoken and written text, showing exactly how and when words are used today"

It has a recording of the word spoken by an American and British speaker (you can set one as default); and phonetic transcriptions in the IPA.

Simple and very clear layout.

Dictionary-related curiosities

A dictionary of slang

"A monster online dictionary of the rich colourful language we call slang... all from a British perspective"

Urban Dictionary

"A veritable cornucopia of streetwise lingo, posted and defined by its readers."

LOL -- 'Webspeak' invades Oxford dictionary

"The venerable Oxford American Dictionary has added a ginormous (adj., not included) list of words inspired by the interweb (noun, included). The next time you look up a word, expect to see lots of abbreviations, webspeak and casual slang."

Is this a word?

"Every now and then somebody e-mails me along the lines of 'I’ve come across this recently. Is it a word?' My instinct is to reply that if you can say it and spell it, then it’s a word. But such philosophising is hardly a reply to the question that’s actually being asked. What my questioners are seeking, of course, is permission, the stamp of authority that reassures them they will not be thought ignorant if they use their discovery."

How many words?

"One of the more common questions that arrive for the Q&A section asks how many words there are in the English language. Almost as common are requests for the average size of a person’s vocabulary. These sound like easy questions; I have to tell you that they’re indeed easy to ask. But they’re almost impossible to answer satisfactorily, because it all depends what you mean by word and by vocabulary (or even English)."

Impactful ignorals. New terms that blush unseen.

"If the word, however spelled, is so common, why isn’t it in most dictionaries? By one of those odd coincidences, a similar question was asked by another subscriber in reference to impactful; yet another commented on the noun use of strive, as in 'our strive towards profitability', found quite often online but which is also unnoticed by lexicographers."

The Devil's Dictionary

"The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical reference book written by Ambrose Bierce. The book offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language, lampooning cant and political doublespeak. It was originally published in 1906 as The Cynic's Word Book before being retitled in 1911."

Three of the web's most awkward phrases

"Back in the day, Shakespeare enriched the English language by pumping out neologisms like a maniac. Fast forward 400-plus years, and we don't really have an official bard, per se -- at least not in corporeal form."

One book you may not be able to buy

CNN Video (2'34"): "The 3rd edition of the Oxford English Dictionary may not be printed, reports CNN's Ayesha Durgahee."