The history of the English lexicography offers through its numerous works that have survived up to our days a great opportunity to observe not only the semantic development of words, but also their layout in a page, from their fonts' styles and sizes to the structure of their meanings and the later acquisition symbols and abbreviations. Online availability of historical dictionaries enables us to study comparatively and diachronically the curriculum vitae of words, through which we can reconstruct a morpho-semantic overview that links past with present usages and meanings including their semantic development (e.g. polysemy, shifted meanings etc.), spelling variations, etymological suggestions and other valuable pieces of information. In many cases, due to the scientific achievements and rapid changes that occur in the human societies, it is possible to observe how social and cultural changes may have been captured within a particular definition or an etymological explanation.
The current study focuses on the analysis of four dictionary entries. How do the meanings of the selected words evolve semantically and what does each lexicographer offer to the reader as we approach modern times? Due to the restricted length available for this paper, the early seventeenth century has been set as starting point for this work; more precisely Robert Cawdrey's Table Alphabeticall (1604), a most well-known work regarded today as the first monolingual English dictionary. A total of ten important dictionaries up to the digital OED will be used. The aim is to demonstrate through a comparative approach what semantic changes have taken place throughout the definitions, what has survived or become obsolete over time and what is the semantic status of today's definitions within the selected headwords.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Methodology
2.1 The authors and their works
2.1.1 EME dictionaries: The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
2.1.2 Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755)
2.1.3 The nineteenth century
2.1.4 The twentieth century
3. Content analysis
3.1 Selected entries
3.1.1 Secular
3.1.2 Savannah
3.1.3 Drug
3.1.4 Tablet
3.2 Entry layouts
3.2.1 EME layouts
3.2.2 Johnson's layouts
3.2.3 Nineteenth-century layouts
3.2.4 Modern entries: NED and Merriam-Webster
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
This study examines the diachronic semantic development and changing lexicographical layouts of four selected English dictionary entries: "secular," "savannah," "drug," and "tablet." The research aims to trace how definitions have evolved from early seventeenth-century "hard word" lists through landmark works like Johnson's dictionary to modern digital resources, analyzing how cultural, social, and scientific changes are reflected in these definitions.
- Diachronic analysis of semantic shifts in specific English headwords.
- Evaluation of changing lexicographical methods and entry structures over four centuries.
- Investigation of the transition from early "hard word" glossaries to modern scholarly and learner dictionaries.
- Comparative analysis of lexicographical representations in British and American English sources.
- Role of social and scientific progress in shaping dictionary definitions and vocabulary expansion.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1 Secular
The adjective secular enters our EME sources with already more than one meaning and quite shifted from its primary Latin meaning. Cawdrey offers, probably for his school's needs, the only definition ‘worldly, of the world‘. In Blount's GAN the synonym ‘temporal‘ is given as explanation. There is a metaphorical extension, though, that gives the second meaning: that which belongs to the world, is not eternal but mortal, or of restricted duration; hence ‘temporal‘. Kersey offers the less common meaning ‘belonging to the space of 100 years‘ (or a generation), another way of being temporal, which is, actually, closer to the literal Latin meaning of saeculum ‘the body of individuals born at a particular time, generation‘ (Glare 1968: 1676). It is difficult to tell whether Kersey wanted to prescribe a meaning based on historical semantics or present first the most common meaning of his time.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the historical scope of English lexicography and the study's aim to analyze semantic changes in four selected headwords.
2. Methodology: Outlines the criteria for selecting dictionary entries and the historical periods analyzed, spanning from early modern English to modern digital dictionaries.
2.1 The authors and their works: Provides a brief historical overview of the key lexicographers and dictionaries used as primary sources in this study.
3. Content analysis: Presents a detailed comparative examination of the semantic evolution of the four chosen headwords across different dictionaries.
3.1 Selected entries: Investigates the individual semantic shifts and definitions for "secular," "savannah," "drug," and "tablet" across the analyzed historical sources.
3.2 Entry layouts: Analyzes the structural evolution of dictionary entries, comparing typography, organization, and the inclusion of metadata such as etymologies and quotations.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings regarding semantic and structural changes in lexicography and discusses potential future developments for learner-friendly dictionary design.
Keywords
Lexicography, semantic development, English dictionary, diachronic analysis, etymology, EME, Samuel Johnson, OED, word history, definition analysis, headword, lexicographical layout, historical linguistics, lexicographical method, lexical change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the history and development of English lexicography by analyzing how four specific words have been defined and presented in various dictionaries from the early 17th century to the present day.
Which key areas of lexicography are examined?
The study focuses on two main areas: the semantic development and changing usage of words over time, and the evolution of the physical and structural layout of dictionary entries.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The goal is to demonstrate through a comparative diachronic approach how semantic changes occur within definitions and to observe how different lexicographers have addressed the need for information throughout history.
Which scientific methods are employed in the study?
The author uses a comparative and diachronic analysis method, looking at ten important dictionaries to trace the history and "curriculum vitae" of four selected headwords.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body is divided into a content analysis of specific entries and a technical analysis of how dictionary entry layouts have shifted from simple synonym lists to complex, historically enriched entries.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Lexicography, semantic development, diachronic analysis, etymology, dictionary evolution, and historical linguistics.
Why were the words "secular," "savannah," "drug," and "tablet" chosen for analysis?
They represent diverse linguistic categories: "secular" shows Latin-based metonymic shift, "savannah" is a loanword from cultural exchange, "drug" reflects scientific and social changes in medicine, and "tablet" highlights shape-based metaphorical development.
How does the author evaluate the impact of the digital age on lexicography?
The author notes that while modern electronic dictionaries offer vast data and updated definitions, there is an ongoing trend towards making dictionaries more learner-friendly, sometimes at the cost of the detailed historical quotations found in older printed works.
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- Michael Barkas (Autor:in), 2015, English lexicography through the ages. A case study based on four dictionary entries, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/351258
