History of American Lexicography

The first American dictionary of the English language was compiled by Samuel Johnson Jr., a Connecticut schoolmaster, who published in 1798 a small book "A School Dictionary". This book was followed in 1800 by another dictionary by the same author, which showed already some signs of Americanisation.

Noah Webster isuniversally considered to be the father of American lexicography, who emphatically broke away from English tradition and embodied in his book the specifically American usage of his time. His great work, The American Dictionary of the English Language, appeared in two volumes in 1828 and later sustained numerous revised and enlarged editions.

N. Webster follows the lead of Dr S. Johnson (the British lexicographer). But he has also improved and corrected many of S. Johnson's etymologies and his definitions are often more exact. N. Webster attempted to simplify the spelling and pronunciation that were current in the USA of the period. He realized the importance of language for the development of a nation, and devoted his energy to giving the American English the status of an independent language, distinct from British English.

N.Webster's dictionary enjoyed great popularity from its first editions. This popularity was due not only to the accuracy and clarity of definitions but also to the richness of additional information of encyclopaedic character. And it became a tradition in American lexicography.

Soon after N. Webster's death George and Charles Merriam, acquired the rights of his dictionary and started the publication of revised single volume editions under the name Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster dictionaries began to be published in electronic formats, including CD-ROMs and handheld devices, in the 1980s. In 1996 Merriam-Webster introduced Merriam-Webster OnLine, a Web site offering language-related features, including access to the full text of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus. In 2002 Webster’s Third New International Dictionary was made available online at a subscription Web site.

The other great American dictionaries are:

· the Century Dictionary first completed in 1891;

· Funk and Wagnalls New StandardDictionary first completed in 1895,

· the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, completed in 1967

· The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary of the English Language first published in 1969

· C.L. Barnhart's The World BookDictionary presenting a synchronic review of the language in the 20th century

4.3 Major Lexicography Issues:

· the selection of headwords,

· the number, the structure and contents of the vocabulary entry (in different types of dictionaries)

· definitions in a unilingual dictionary

Дата добавления: 2015-08-21