2. The origin of the “oed”

The philological society, founded in 1842, established an Unregistered Words Committee, but upon hearing two papers by Richard Chenevix Trench in 1857 –“On Some Deficiencies in Our English Dictionaries” – the society changed its plan to them aking of “A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles”. It was R. Trench who called upon the Philological Society to undertake the collection of materials to complete the work already done by Bailey, Johnson,Todd, Webster, Richardson and others, such dictionary would register all omitted words and senses and supply all the historical information in whichthese works were lacking, and above all, should giveevery notable point in thelife-history of every word.

Forward steps were taken under two editors, Herbert Coleridge and Frederick James Turnivall, until in 1879, James Augustus Henry Murray, a Scott known for his brilliance in philology, was engaged as editor.

Part I was finished in 1884, later, three other editors were added, each editing independently with his own staff – Henry Bradley, in the North of England, in 1888, William Alexander Craigie, another Scott, in 1901 and Charles Talbut Onions, the only “Southerner”, in 1914. The work was finished in 1928, in over15.000 pages with three long columns each. It was a consolidation of a century’s work of 4 generations of lexicographers. It was initially published in a series of 125 slim fascicles between the years 1884 –1928.

The work was reprinted, with a supplement, in 12 volumes in 1933 with the title “The Oxford English Dictionary”, and as the OED it has been known ever since, a definitive historical dictionary of the English language. Arranged mostly in order of historical occurrence, the definitions in the OED are illustrated with about 2.400.000 dated quotations from English-language literature and records. The aim of the dictionary (as stated in the 1933 edition) is “to present in alphabetical series the words that have formed the English vocabulary from the time of the earliest records down to the present day, with allthe relevant facts concerning their form, sense, history and etymology.”

2. The main principles and peculiarities of the “oed”

The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world, from North America to South Africa, from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and in listing of variant spelling, and it shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet.

The Oxford English Dictionary is not an arbiter of proper usage, despite its widespread reputation to the contrary. The Dictionary is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, its content should be viewed as anobjective reflection of English language usage, not a subjective collection of usage ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’. However, it includes information on which usages are or have been popularly regarded as ‘incorrect’.

As far as making it modern the 2nd edition of the OED known as OED 2 was published in 20 volumes in 1989 by the Oxford University Press. Its co-editors were John A. Simpson and Edmund S.C. Weiner.

In 1992 the first CD-ROM version of the OED was published, the OED is now being fully revised, with new material published in parts online. It has been a great success. The electronic format has revolutionized the way people use the Dictionary to search and retrieve information. Complex investigations into word origins and quotations that would have been impossible to conduct using the print edition now take only a few seconds.

The Oxford English Dictionary has been the last word on words for over a century. But, as with a respected professor or admired parent, people may count on its wisdom and authority without thinking much about how it was acquired.

To sum it up, the OED is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language of the last millenium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past.

The OED is a living document that has been growing and changing for 140years. Far more than a convenient place to look up words and their origins, the OED is an irreplaceable part of English culture. It not only provides an important record of the evolution of the language, but also documents the continuing development of the society. It is certain to continue in this role later.

Lecture 4. (це третя, просто в мене вона під таким номером, не звертайте уваги )

THE HISTORICAL SIGNPOSTS OF AMERICAN LEXICOGRAPHY

4.1 The origin of American lexicography. “A School Dictionary” by S. Johnson

4.2 Webster’s dictionaries

4.3 “The war of dictionaries”: Webster versus Worcester

4. Other dictionaries published in the USA