现代英语词汇学概论chapter12.ppt

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1、ENGLISH DICTIONARIES&HOW TO USE THEMChapter XIIWhy do English language learners need dictionaries?A craftsman who wishes to practice his craft well must first sharpen his tools.Dictionaries help us learn new words.Dictionaries help us contextualize new vocabulary.Dictionaries help us build learner a

2、utonomy.2What is an English dictionary?It is a book which represents in alphabetic orderthe words of the English language,with information as to its spelling,pronunciation,meaning and its etymology.3Characteristics of Dictionaries 1）Dictionaries are reference books,to be exact,the reference source i

3、n print or electronic form;2)Dictionaries are compiled according to the nature of the vocabulary;3)The chief units of compiling dictionaries are entries,that is,words,including morphemes(affixes),and combining forms;4)Word-entries in any dictionary are arranged in alphabetical order.4The development

4、 of dictionaries1.Origin:began in Anglo-Saxon times,printed in Latin2.First English dictionaries:appeared in the 17th century;defined“hard words”in terms of other English words;(Why?)3.First English Dictionaries(hard tradition)Robert Caswdrey:Table Alphabetical of Hard Words(1604)56Samuel Johnson:A

5、Dictionary of the English Language(1755)The 18th century was an age of dictionaries and the encyclopedic and lexicographical tendencies of the time received their fullest expression in this book.Identified as a matter of national pride and defense,a symbol of British individualism and strength7Noah

6、Webster:An American Dictionary of the English Language(1828)Reason?the American language was changing from that of the British;new words,new meanings for old words,different pronunciations,and new usages Characteristics:70,000 entriesDefinitions:differences between American and British usage and mea

7、ning;Many words of American origin;Illustrative quotations of Americans;Changed American spellingA great success:Webster is synonymous for dictionary8The Oxford English Dictionary Early nameA New English Dictionary On Historical Principles byJames A.H.Murray,etc9Mini-research(the most beautiful Engl

8、ish words Top 70)To celebrate its 70th anniversary,on Nov.24,2004,the British Culture Association carried a poll about the most beautiful words in the English language.Over 40,000 people in 46 countries and regions voted.Whats the result?Give the top 70 most beautiful English words and their Chinese

9、 equivalents.Which strike you most?Share your comments on them?About Chinese English:a survey?10Types of dictionaries1)Monolingual dictionaries vs.bilingual dictionaries Monolingual dictionaries are written in one language,while bilingual dictionaries are written in two languages.Bilingual dictionar

10、ies are of the two types.One is that the entries are defined and explained in the same language with translations.The other is that the entries are defined in one language and given their foreign equivalents.112)Linguistic and encyclopedic dictionariesEncyclopedic dictionaries are of the two kinds:o

11、ne is encyclopedia,which aims at providing encyclopedic information about the headwords.The other is encyclopedic dictionary,which shares the characteristics of both a linguistic dictionary and an encyclopedia.Linguistic dictionaries aim at providing linguistic information about the head words,such

12、as pronunciation,spelling,meaning,part of speech,12An unabridged dictionary is compiled for general use-to look for spelling,meaning,pronunciation,usage,etc.It is,theoretically,a complete record of all the words in use,though in fact,it is not.Unabridged,Desk and Pocket Dictionaries 3)General-purpos

13、e dictionariesA desk dictionary is a medium-sized dictionary which usually has a vocabulary of about 50,000 to 150,000.(案头字典,中型字典）A pocket dictionary usually contains a vocabulary of less than 50,000 words.A pocket dictionary usually provides only the information related to pronunciation and spellin

14、g.134)Specialized dictionaries Specialized dictionaries usually focus on one area of knowledge.They provide detailed information in a particular subject.145)Synchronic and Diachronic Dictionaries In synchronic dictionaries the words,phrases and meanings given belong to the English of a given period.

15、Dictionaries which we usually use today are synchronic ones.Diachronic dictionaries study the origin and development of pronunciations and meanings of words.In every entry several citations are arranged according to the year of their usage.The Oxford Dictionary(OED)is a typical example.15Use of dict

16、ionariesChoice of dictionariesThe following factors should be considered:1)the dictionary users level of English2)the kind of information that dictionary users want to consult a dictionary for3)the varieties of English4)the date of publication16the use of dictionarya.the dictionary entryb.spellingc.pronunciationd.parts of speech and inflected forms of wordse.labelsf.the definitiong.etymologyh.synonyms17