In this unique and entertaining collection of articles, a noted scholar and compiler of key works of reference reflects on the nature of language, the art of lexicography and the breath-taking developments in communication, the media and information technology in the late twentieth century.
This book ranges widely over three main linked subjects:
- Language at large and in particular English, the most widely used language in the history of the world
- The art and study of dictionaries and reference science, embracing all past, present and potential reference materials-from the OED to the Yellow Pages
- The processes through which communication, information and knowledge have evolved-from cave art to the personal computer.
In this unique and entertaining collection of articles, a noted scholar and compiler of key works of reference reflects on the nature of language, the art of lexicography and the breath-taking developments in communication, the media and information technology in the late twentieth century. This book ranges widely over three main linked subjects: Language at large and in particular English, the most widely used language in the history of the world, The art and study of dictionaries and reference science, embracing all past, present and potential reference materials-from the OED to the Yellow Pages and The processes through which communication, information and knowledge have evolved-from cave art to the personal computer.
Recenzijas
There are many valuable insights in this collection of papers . . . The articles in this collection will fascinate lexicographers." (International Journal of Lexicography, Vol. 13, No 2, 2000) The collection has many attractions apart from the intrinsic interest of the subject matter. McArthurs roles as the editor of English Today, and as the author of Worlds of Reference, The Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English, and The Oxford Companion to the English Language, have given him a breadth of experience in linguistic, lexicographical, and encyclopaedic fields that few could match. (English Studies, Vol.83, No.6)
Foreword vii Reinhard Hartmann Acknowledgements ix Introduction xi LIVING WORDS Bagaba and carcari: the paradox at the heart of language 3(7) Rhythm, rhyme, and reason: the power of patterned sound 10(17) The power of words: pressure, prejudice, and politics in our vocabularies and dictionaries 27(15) The word `word 42(8) The vocabulary-control movement in the English language, 1844--1953 50(27) LANGUAGE Wee Jimmy and the dugs: or, where do you stand in the classroom? 77(12) The usage industry 89(9) Problems of purism and usage editing English Today 98(11) The pedigree of Plain English 109(9) The printed word in the English-speaking world 118(15) LEXICOGRAPHY The background and nature of ELT learners dictionaries 133(16) Thematic lexicography 149(11) Reference materials and their formats 160(17) A mutually defining circle of words: some reflections on the making of the Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English 177(14) Culture-boundand trapped by technology: centuries of bias in the making of wordboods 191(10) Guides to tomorrows English: dictionaries for a universal language 201(14) THE KNOWLEDGE REVOLUTION What then is reference science? 215(8) The scholarly guild 223(5) Knowledge, knowledge everywhere: the global library 228(9) Themes and dreams: the romance of the database 237(6) Representing knowledge for human consumption 243(13) Appendix: The Unabridged Devils Dictionary of Language Teaching 256(9) References 265(6) Index 271
Tom McArthur is an independent writer, editor, consultant and broadcaster, and editor of English Today: the international review of the English language, the quarterly review published by Cambridge University Press. He is Deputy Director of the Dictionary Research Centre and Honorary University Fellow at the University of Exeter, and General Editor with R.R.K. Hartmann of the series Exeter Language and Lexicography. He has published over 20 books and is the editor of The Oxford Companion to the English Language.
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