Cambridge Companion to English Dictionaries

The English language was standardized through dictionaries, rivaling the Bible's authority and challenging our understanding of objectivity, prescription, and description. This comprehensive volume explores the evolution, innovation, and controversy of dictionaries, presenting an overview of essential issues and a narrative of their development. Essays on the regional and global nature of English lexicography examine their power in standardizing varieties and defining nations.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 350 pages
\n Publication date: 24 September 2020
\n Publisher: Cambridge University Press
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The English language has been profoundly shaped by the dictionary genre, which has played a pivotal role in its evolution, innovation, and cultural significance. Since the publication of the first monolingual dictionary in 1604, dictionaries have sparked a wide range of responses, including evolution, innovation, devotion, plagiarism, and controversy. This comprehensive volume offers an overview of essential issues related to dictionary style and content, as well as a fresh narrative of the development of English dictionaries throughout the centuries.

In essays exploring the regional and global nature of English lexicography, scholars delve into the power of dictionaries in standardizing varieties of English and defining nations seeking independence from the British Empire. From Canada to the Caribbean, dictionaries have played a crucial role in shaping the linguistic landscape and fostering national identity.

Leading scholars and lexicographers also provide historical context for an array of dictionaries, raising urgent theoretical and methodological questions about their role as tools of standardization, prestige, power, education, literacy, and national identity. Through their analysis, they shed light on the complex interplay between language, culture, and society, challenging our understanding of objectivity, prescription, and description in the English language.

The dictionary genre has had a profound impact on the English language, shaping its evolution, innovation, and cultural significance. This comprehensive volume explores the power of dictionaries in standardizing English, defining nations, and shaping national identity. It raises important theoretical and methodological questions about their role as tools of standardization, prestige, power, education, literacy, and national identity. By examining the historical context of dictionaries and the contributions of leading scholars and lexicographers, this volume provides a valuable insight into the complex relationship between language, culture, and society.

\n Weight: 564g\n
Dimension: 152 x 232 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781108451680\n \n