Words Defined, From A to Z
Written: Sep 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent quick reference to modern usage
Cons: Definitions are a little lightweight
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| pambo's Full Review: Webster's New World Dictionary of American English... |
Everyone needs help occasionally with finding just the right word. If you're one of those people who loves words, then you've probably spent time just dialing through a dictionary's pages, learning new facts, new definitions and, oh yeah, the right way to pronounce them. If you are one of those people, or you just need help with your spelling, this dictionary is for you. I hope this little trip through the alphabet helps.
A
is for alphabets, a listing of Greek, Arabic, Hebrew and Cyrillic alphabets, their symbols and their equivalents, from Alpha in the Greek to ya in the Cyrillic.
B
is for the Beaufort Scale, the system of measuring wind force and speed, with a chart.
C
is for chemical elements, the periodic table of, a full page detailing the symbols and aphabetical list of the elements and atomic numbers.
D
is for Dialect. The very first inside page gives an explanation of regional dialects, explaining that dialects are distinguishable by pronunciation, word choice and grammar. See L is for LEGEND
E
is for Etymology. In a relatively short two pages, the dictionary's authors tell us that why etymology, the study of how words developed, is important.
F
is for Foreign Sounds, an explanation of what certain letters, such as an "o" with an umlaut, sounds like, approximately, in English.
G
is for Guide, which tells readers how to use the dictionary, from explaining what the bold-faced type means, to what the various pronunciation guides, abbreviations and much more. See
H
Is for the Historical Overview, an account of how this version of Webster's Dictionary came about, with a tip of the hat to much earlier lexicographers.
I
is for the Indo-European languages list, a full chart of "centum" and "satem" languages detailed on a two-page spread near the end of the dictionary.
J
is for the Jewish calendar, with a quick synopsis ("'Jewish calendar'-a calendar used by the Jews in calculating Jewish history.." along with a chart listing the months and length of each month.
K
Is for key word, the example word that serves to tell us how the symbols are pronounced, as in:
OI: oil, point, toy.
L
is for Legend, a map at the front of the book defining the general areas of each dialect it defines; with its arrows zooming every which way, it looks a lot like a weather map, with the Eastern half of the country in for a pile of trouble. See D is for DIALECT.
M
Is for the table of measures with a list of common conversion factors and the international system of measures.
N
Is for new, as in, dictionaries reflect the living language and must change as usage changes.
O
Old-fashioned is what the dictionary is and isn't, with such entries as CD for compact disc. In the world of the Internet, this may not seem new at all; in the land of lexicography, it is lightning speed. But it lacks Web as a part for the Internet.
P
Is for plants and animals, the inclusion of the scientific names for both categories as each word is listed and defined.
Q
Is for quote marks and the explanation of the proper use of them. The improper use? For emphasis, as in, I "really" like this dictionary.
R
Run-in derived entries, my favorite item in the Guide, which tells us how easy it is in English to create words by adding suffixes and prefixes, and why the dictionaries author put limits on this habit.
S
is for Special Signs, ranging from the symbols used in astronomy to numeration to signs of the zodiac. It also stands for Style, an explanation of how certain spellings and other editorial matters were determined.
T
is for Table of of Monetary Units, a listing of coin and paper currency, from Aghanistan through Zimbabwe.
U
Is for usage labels and notes, which explains the dictionary's determination of what constitutes colloquial, slang, rare and other explanations it has attached to definitions.
V
Is for the variation in language this dictionary's editors have studied and then explained, in eight pages of densely printed but clearly written explanationof how this dictionary can help you figure it out.
W
is for Webster, defined a weaver; only on fourth definition is Noah Webster ("U.S. lexicographer") mentioned in as short a manner as possible.
X
Is for the shortest section of the true part of the dictionary, a mere one and three-quarters pages.
Y
is for Yankee, AKA, American usage. Though there's a very good argument to be made that the English are the ones who really do dictionaries well, we're here. Or at least, if you're using this dictionary, you're probably somewhere here in the U.S.
Z
Is for zymurgy, a branch of chemistry. Don't know what it means? You should look it up.
Recommended:
Yes
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