English lexicography through the ages. A case study based on four dictionary entries

English lexicography through the ages. A case study based on four dictionary entries
Author: Michael Barkas
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2017-01-13
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 3668379750

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, University of Bonn, course: English Words: Structure, History and Usage, language: English, abstract: The history of the English lexicography offers through its numerous works that have survived up to our days a great opportunity to observe not only the semantic development of words, but also their layout in a page, from their fonts' styles and sizes to the structure of their meanings and the later acquisition symbols and abbreviations. Online availability of historical dictionaries enables us to study comparatively and diachronically the curriculum vitae of words, through which we can reconstruct a morpho-semantic overview that links past with present usages and meanings including their semantic development (e.g. polysemy, shifted meanings etc.), spelling variations, etymological suggestions and other valuable pieces of information. In many cases, due to the scientific achievements and rapid changes that occur in the human societies, it is possible to observe how social and cultural changes may have been captured within a particular definition or an etymological explanation. The current study focuses on the analysis of four dictionary entries. How do the meanings of the selected words evolve semantically and what does each lexicographer offer to the reader as we approach modern times? Due to the restricted length available for this paper, the early seventeenth century has been set as starting point for this work; more precisely Robert Cawdrey's Table Alphabeticall (1604), a most well-known work regarded today as the first monolingual English dictionary. A total of ten important dictionaries up to the digital OED will be used. The aim is to demonstrate through a comparative approach what semantic changes have taken place throughout the definitions, what has survived or become obsolete over time and what is the semantic status of today's definitions within the selected headwords.

The Evolution of English Lexicography

The Evolution of English Lexicography
Author: James a H Murray
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2024-02
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9361428659

"The Evolution of English Lexicography" by way of James A. H. Murray is a complete take a look at that strains the development and history of English dictionaries and lexicography. Murray's paintings offer a meticulous exam of the evolution of lexicography from its early beginnings to the sophisticated dictionaries of the nineteenth century. In this seminal paintings, Murray analyzes the contributions of top notch lexicographers, the evolution of dictionary-making techniques, and the cultural and linguistic influences which have shaped the English lexicon. Murray's understanding as a lexicographer and philologist shines thru as he delves into the intricacies of compiling dictionaries and defining the nuances of the English language. Through certain research and scholarly insights, Murray offers a profound exploration of the demanding situations and advancements in lexicography over centuries. He highlights the significance of dictionaries in retaining language, documenting ancient utilization, and serving as worthwhile tools for students, writers, and language fans. "The Evolution of English Lexicography" stands as a seminal painting inside the area, showcasing Murray's know-how and passion for language observe. Murray's insightful evaluation and meticulous studies make this book a precious aid for all and sundry inquisitive about the history of English dictionaries and the evolution of lexicography as a scholarly subject.

From Glosses to Dictionaries

From Glosses to Dictionaries
Author: Chiara Benati
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1527540839

This book presents—through a series of nine high quality essays by international scholars—the beginnings of the lexicographic tradition and the appearance of the first mono- and multilingual dictionaries in various language areas across the world, paying particular attention to their dependence on glosses and glossaries. The contributions analyze, on the basis of significant case studies, how dictionaries first emerged in a wide spectrum of cultures, ranging from Greek Antiquity to 9th-century Japan, from Medieval Britain to 15th-century Poland. In this way, the book highlights both similarities and differences among these traditions, and allows a global and comparative approach to the history of lexicography in its earliest phases, a topic which, up until now, has usually been studied only within single languages and cultures.

Current Projects in Historical Lexicography

Current Projects in Historical Lexicography
Author: John Considine
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2010-04-16
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1443821772

Current Projects in Historical Lexicography brings together seven papers by present and recent editors of historical dictionaries and lexical databases. The collection is introduced with an overview of the history of historical lexicography from the ancient world to the present day, with particular emphasis on the major nineteenth-century dictionaries of German, French, English, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish, and on their successors. In the first paper, Javier Martín Arista describes the present state of, and the prospects for, the Nerthus lexical database of Old English. The next two introduce specialized dictionaries of the language of medieval and early modern texts: Fernando Tejedo-Herrero’s comprehensive dictionary of the language of the great thirteenth-century lawcode Siete Partidas, and Juhani Norri’s Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary in English, 1375–1530. Marijke Mooijaart’s paper discusses the online integration of the four historical dictionaries which cover Dutch from the earliest times to the twentieth century. The next two papers, Stefan Dollinger on the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles and the Bank of Canadian English, and Maggie Scott on the Concise Scots Dictionary, describe projects to revise twentieth-century historical dictionaries as the language varieties which they register evolve. Finally, Jeremy Bergerson’s paper presents a project for an etymologically rich historical dictionary of Afrikaans. An appendix to the volume comprises two previously unpublished short documents by Katherine Barber and John Considine which bear on the history of the Dictionary of Canadianisms revision project. The contributions to this volume offer a rare set of insights into ongoing lexicographical work, addressing both methodological issues such as inclusion criteria and the balance between diachronic and synchronic coverage, and practical issues such as publication media and funding.

A Sociolinguistic History of British English Lexicography

A Sociolinguistic History of British English Lexicography
Author: Heming Yong
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2021-09-15
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1000429482

A Sociolinguistic History of British English Lexicography traces the evolution of British English dictionaries from their earliest roots to the end of the 20th century by adopting both sociolinguistic and lexicographical perspectives. It attempts to break out of the limits of the dictionary-ontology paradigm and set British English dictionary-making and research against a broader background of socio-cultural observations, thus relating the development of English lexicography to changes in English, accomplishments in English linguistics, social and cultural progress, and advances in science and technology. It unfolds a vivid, coherent and complete picture of how English dictionary-making develops from its archetype to the prescriptive, the historical, the descriptive and finally to the cognitive model, how it interrelates to the course of the development of a nation's culture and the historical growth of its lexicographical culture, as well as how English lexicography spreads from British English to other major regional varieties through inheritance, innovation and self-perfection. This volume will be of interest to students and academics of English lexicography, English linguistics and world English lexicography.

A Changing World of Words

A Changing World of Words
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 632
Release: 2021-11-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9004489347

From the contents: Maurizio GOTTI: The origin of 17th century canting terms. - Anne MCDERMOTT: Early dictionaries of English and historical corpora: in search of hard words. - Paivi KOIVISTO-ALANKO: Prototypes in semantic change: a diachronic perspective on abstract nouns. - Manuela ROMANO POZO: A morphodynamic interpretation of synonymy and polysemy in Old English."

The Oxford History of English Lexicography

The Oxford History of English Lexicography
Author: A. P. Cowie
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 1017
Release: 2008-12-04
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0191558079

These substantial volumes present the fullest account yet published of the lexicography of English from its origins in medieval glosses, through its rapid development in the eighteenth century, to a fully-established high-tech industry that is as reliant as ever on learning and scholarship. The history covers dictionaries of English and its national varieties, including American English, with numerous references to developments in Europe and elsewhere which have influenced the course of English lexicography. Part one of Volume I explores the early development of glosses and bilingual and multilingual dictionaries and examines their influence on lexicographical methods and ideas. Part two presents a systematic history of monolingual dictionaries of English and includes extensive chapters on Johnson, Webster and his successors in the USA, and the OED. It also contains descriptions of the development of dictionaries of national and regional varieties, and of Old and Middle English, and concludes with an account of the computerization of the OED. The specialized dictionaries described in Volume II include dictionaries of science, dialects, synonyms, etymology, pronunciation, slang and cant, quotations, phraseology, and personal and place names. This volume also includes an account of the inception and development of dictionaries developed for particular users, especially foreign learners of English. The Oxford History of English Lexicography unites scholarship with readability. It provides a unique and accessible reference for scholars and professional lexicographers and offers a series of fascinating encounters with the men and women involved over the centuries in the making of works of profound national and linguistic importance.

Studies in Lexicography

Studies in Lexicography
Author: R. W. Burchfield
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 224
Release: 1987
Genre: English language
ISBN:

This collection of essays, edited by the distinguished lexicographer Dr. Robert Burchfield, examines and evaluates some of the greatest dictionaries of our age, from Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon to the Oxford English Dictionary. Written by leading lexicographers from around the world, these essays focus on the large historical, period, and regional dictionaries, providing insights into a broad range of issues, including: the treatment of homonyms, polysemy, and dialects; the effectiveness of dictionaries designed for foreign students; and the way words of Romance origin are dealt with in English dictionaries.

The Theory of English Lexicography, 1530-1791

The Theory of English Lexicography, 1530-1791
Author: Tetsuro Hayashi
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 181
Release: 1978-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027209596

This book serves as a welcome addition to the better known "English Dictionary from Cawdrey to Johnson, 1604-1755," by Starnes & Noyes (new edition published by Benjamins 1991). Whereas Starnes & Noyes describe the history of English lexicography as an evolutionary progress-by-accumulation process, Professor Hayashi focuses on issues of method and theory, starting with John Palsgrave's "Lesclarissement de la langue francoyse" (1530), to John Walker's "A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English Language" (1791). This book also includes a detailed discussion of Dr. Johnson's influential "Dictionary of the English Language" (1755).