answering questions about words – dictionaries

ANSWERING ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT QUESTIONS ABOUT WORDS – WORDS – DICTIONARIESDICTIONARIESPrepared and Discussed by: Ernani A. Agulto IV-15 BLIS

DictionaryDictionarylisting of the words of a

language, usually in alphabetical order but sometimes also by topic, with their meanings or their equivalents (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation).

How Dictionaries are How Dictionaries are usedusedFor definitions ranges across many types

of words – simple, archaic, slang, idiomatic, foreign, literary and technical,

Etymology and usage of a word,Pronunciation and syllabication of a word,List classes of words,Provides synonym,For visual or illustrated dictionary,

provides text as well as geographical representations,

For dictionary of regionalism, provides specialized definitions of less universal usage.

Questions answered by Questions answered by DictionariesDictionariesDefinitionOrthography- study of correct

spelling: the study of established correct spelling (Microsoft Encarta)

PronunciationEtymologyGrammarSynonymVisualReligionalisms

MAJOR DICTIONARIES MAJOR DICTIONARIES USED IN REFERENCE USED IN REFERENCE WORKWORKGeneral DictionariesUnabridged dictionaries depth and breadth of information is

the prime directive rather than currency of words.

Are the most scholarly and comprehensive of all dictionaries, sometimes consisting of many volumes. They emphasize the history of words and the variety of their uses.

General DictionariesGeneral DictionariesUnabridged dictionariesAre useful when studying a word in

depth, reading or writing about the literature of another century, or looking for a quotation containing a particular word.

Examples: The Oxford English Dictionary, (20 volumes), The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language.

General DictionariesGeneral DictionariesAbridged dictionariesoften called desk dictionaries, list

150,000 to 250,000 words and concentrate largely on fairly common words and meanings. A good desk dictionary will serve most reference needs for writing or reading.

Examples: The American Heritage Dictionary, The Random House Webster's College Dictionary, Mirriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Concise Oxford English Dictionary.

Specialized Word Specialized Word SourcesSourcesLearners dictionaries “less is more” (Dahlin 1999, 33),The prime directives are not

comprehensiveness and depth of meaning, but simplicity, ease of use and frequency of words in daily American communication.

Examples: Macmillan English Dictionary, NTC’s American English Learner’s Dictionary.

Specialized Word Specialized Word SourcesSourcesVisual dictionariesis designed to help you find the right

word at a glance, is more than a reliable resource of meticulously labeled images—it innovates by combining dictionary-scale definitions with exceptional illustrations (http://visual.merriam-webster.com/about-visual_overview.php).

Examples: The Firefly Visual Dictionary (has 35, 000 terms), Ultimate Visual Dictionary, The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary (35, 000 words in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian).

Specialized Word Specialized Word SourcesSources“Gated” word dictionariesdictionaries of slang, jargon, argot,

regionalisms or idioms.Dictionaries of slang usually collates

colloquialisms recurring within a group.

Example: the multivolume Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang(has 300, 000 slang words).

Specialized Word Specialized Word SourcesSourcesAcronyms and Abbreviations Dictionaries (AAD)

Example: Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations Dictionary (Multivolume, Gale Group).

Specialized Word Specialized Word SourcesSourcesRhyming Dictionarieswere created to help poets, song

makers, and verse creators.Example: The Oxford Rhyming

Dictionary (has 85, 000 words in forty sound group, but uses British pronunciation).

Specialized Word Specialized Word SourcesSourcesMetadictionariesonline medium,Examples: www.onelook.com

(host to 6, 257, 269 words from 993 dictionaries), www.dictionary.com (free and user-friendly).

ThesauriThesaurihelps to find the right word, each

word is partnered with strings of synonyms and antonyms.

Examples: Roget’s International Thesaurus (6th ed. Has 330, 000 words and phrases), The Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus (2004).

QuotationsQuotationsoften in dictionaries to establish

the usage of the word.Examples: Bartlett’s Familiar

Quotations (17th ed., 25, 000 quotations), The Random House Webster’s Quotationary (has 20, 000 quotations arranged by subject)…

ConcordancesConcordancesare an alphabetical enumeration of

major words in a book or a collection of books by an author, along with the immediate context of a word, Shakespeare and the Bible.

Examples: 9 volume compilation, A Complete and Systematic Concordance to the Works of Shakespeare, or single-volume version The Harvard Concordance to Shakespeare.

Style and Usage of Style and Usage of WordsWordswords can come alive with the right

grammar and punctuation.Reference Librarians must be prepared

for 2 types of questions in the field:Grammar and punctuation,Style and citation guidance.Examples: Chicago Manual of Style,

MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

Children’s dictionariesChildren’s dictionariesreference world of word sources

for children focuses on all-purpose dictionaries.

Market for children’s dictionaries: school library, the public library and the family library.

Examples: A Student’s Dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary for Children.

Bilingual DictionariesBilingual Dictionarieshas variety of unabridged, dual,

pocket-sized, and desk dictionaries.

Examples: Cassell’s Latin Dictionary, The Oxford Starter series, Albanian-English/English-Albanian Practical Dictionary.

Special ConstituencySpecial Constituencytwo major constituencies for whom

authoritative dictionaries are available; the visual and the hearing impaired.

Examples: The Oxford Large Print Dictionary, The American Sign Language Dictionary Unabridged (has more than 7, 000 sign entries accompanied with 12, 000 illustration).

Subject dictionariesSubject dictionariesmedical, legal, business,

scientific, technical, computer, mathematical, etc.

Examples: Harvard Dictionary of Music, Black’s Law Dictionary, Stedman’s Medical Dictionary.

COLLECTION COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENT AND

MAINTENANCEMAINTENANCESelection and Keeping currentReading professional reviews is

the most standard way.esReferring to regularly updated

reference works,Refereeing to subject-specific

monograph,Subscribing for in-depth look at

dictionary sources,Individual dictionary update.

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCEAND MAINTENANCE

Evaluating Word SourcesAuthority and understandability

are the prime criteria for evaluating a word source.

Other criteria: currency, cost, format, scope, comprehensiveness, and value-added features.

FURTHER FURTHER CONSIDERATIONSCONSIDERATIONSAcquisition of word sourcesNot all book titled “dictionaries” are

really dictionaries.They are merely alluding to the

alphabetical arrangement of a book.E.g. A New Dictionary of Irish History from 1800’s.

Lends little (meaning) of words, (gives) a great deal of history instead.

FURTHER FURTHER CONSIDERATIONSCONSIDERATIONSInformation referralVisualizingComplexityDepthContextFormat

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