English dictionary Flashcards
ultimate dictionary authority today
Oxford English Dictionary
the science of dictionary making
lexicography
believed that language change was the result of language corruption
language purists
a record of the way in which language is actually used
descriptive method
Dictionary of the English Language
Johnson’s dictionary
attempts to slow or halt language change
language fixing
American Dictionary of the English Language
Webster’s dictionary
scholars who set standards for how language should be used
grammarians
a record of scholarly opinion regarding how language should be used
prescriptive method
the use of literary texts to establish context for definitions of words
historical method
the history of a word
etymology
grammarian’s attempt to keep the language from “decaying.”
Johnson’s dictionary
set a standard for American English.
Webster’s dictionary
represented the language of an educated elite.
Johnson’s dictionary
set a standard for British English.
Johnson’s dictionary
represented the language of a broad base of educated people
Webster’s dictionary
first to make wide-spread use of etymology.
Webster’s dictionary
first to use the historical method
Johnson’s dictionary
descriptions of the “status” of a word, usually in abbreviated form (archaic, obsolete, regional, nonstandard, slang)
usage
the accepted meaning of a word
definition
the function of the word in a sentence
part of speech
the “history” of a word, beginning with the earliest language to which it can be traced
etymology
the word as it appears in other forms, correctly spelled
alternate forms
a date marking the first known appearance of the word in a written text
earliest recorded use
the word itself as it should be spelled
entry word
words meaning the same or nearly the same thing as the entry word
synonyms
the word as it should be pronounced
respelling
