Béjoint, Henri. Tradition and Innovation in Modern English Dictionaries. Oxford [England: Clarendon, 1994. Print.
While not being focused on the past, this work is a study of how dictionaries change over time. Chapter 3 contains a historical look at how dictionaries progressed from Oral traditions into the monolingual dictionaries that we have seen since the Renaissance. The book also contains an interesting overview of current problems facing Lexicographers.
[was directed to this book by a research librarian at the HBLL]
Considine, John. Adventuring in Dictionaries: New Studies in the History of Lexicography. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2010. Print.
A compilation of studies on dictionaries from the pre-renaissance period, and their influence on their age. It is similar in format to the second half of "English Dictionaries: 800 too 1700" which is also cited.
[found this book by mere chance while browsing through related books on library shelves]
Hüllen, Werner. English Dictionaries, 800-1700: the Topical Tradition. Oxford: Clarendon, 1999. Print.
This book was split roughly into two different parts. The first half of the book is dedicated to an onomasiological analysis of language. In other words, studying how people actually took meaning and applied it to the written medium, both using grammatical phrases and idiomatic ones. The second half of the book contains a series of reviews of prominent dictionaries in the 1500s and 1600s. Each review highlights the macro structure of the dictionary (how records are ordered: alphabetically, by subject, etc.) as well as the micro structure (how a single record is organized: syllabic divisions first, then pronunciation, then definition, etc.).
[found this because it was the next call number on the shelf, and the one I was looking for was missing]
Lynch, Jack. The Lexicographer's Dilemma: the Evolution of "proper" English, from Shakespeare to South Park. New York: Walker &, 2009. Print.
This book discusses the problems surrounding selection of entries to put in a dictionary. While it is more modern in examples, the problems presented are issues that would have been around for lexicographers in any age. The biggest issue presented is the clash between Prescriptive and Descriptive views of language. In other words, should we include only words that are proper for being written in formal documents, or should we also include slang terms as well. Another problem regards the inclusion of taboo words.
[was directed to this book by a research librarian at the HBLL]
Osselton, Noel E. "English Lexicography From the Beginning Up To and Including Johnson." Dictionaries: International Encyclopedia of Lexicography. Ed. Franz J. Hausmann. Vol. 5. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1991. 1943-953. Print.
This article is an in-depth study of what a dictionary is. It begins with a quick historical summary of prominent dictionaries in the 1500s and 1600s, then delves heavily into the structure of dictionaries. In addition to the popular macro and micro structures, this paper studies how illustrations are used, typographical devices, etymology, expected audience, and many more aspects of how dictionaries must be constructed to be effective.
[this was frequently referenced in another work by the same author, so I went looking for a copy]
Yong, Heming, and Jing Peng. Chinese Lexicography: a History from 1046 BC to AD 1911. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.
Near the centerfold of this book there are pictures!!!! Oh, right, beyond that, the book covers the art of dictionary making in china. As the title suggests, it covers 3 millennium. Due to such vast amounts of time, the book covers how different dialects were merged, and how different characters were defined. Also covered are how different dynasties viewed lexicography and its import to Chinese society.
[was directed to this book by a research librarian at the HBLL]
Your post makes something I usually see as incredibly boring (dictionaries) seem interesting! I knew that Encyclopedias came about in the eighteenth century, but I had no idea when dictionaries did.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's interesting on how your sources discuss the question "How are we going to decide what to put in this English dictionary?" The one from Shakespeare to Southpark about "proper" versus "improper" English reminded me of how in France, they have a board of people called L'Academie Francaise that literally have the job of deciding this word IS or IS NOT a proper "French" word. It's a very respected position in France, but I think if we tried it here, those guys would not get any respect at all!