Lost for words : the hidden history of the Oxford English dictionary

Lynda Mugglestone

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) holds a cherished position in English literary culture. Indisputably the greatest dictionary in the language, the story of its creation has become a popular fascination. This book looks at the history of the great first edition of 1928, at the men (and occasionally women) who distilled words and usages from centuries of English writing to capture the spirit of a civilization. The task of the dictionary was to bear full and impartial witness to the language it recorded. But behind the immaculate typography of the finished text, the proofs tell a very different story. This vast archive, unexamined until now, reveals the arguments and controversies over meanings, definitions and pronunciation, and over which words and senses were acceptable and which were not. Lost for Words uncovers the fascinating process by which this great dictionary came into being, tracing - through letters and archives - the personal battles involved in charting a constantly changing language. Seeking to determine correct usage, lexicographers reveal themselves vulnerable to the prejudices of their own linguistic preferences and to the influence of contemporary social history.

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この本の情報

書名 Lost for words : the hidden history of the Oxford English dictionary
著作者等 Mugglestone, Lynda
出版元 Yale University Press
刊行年月 c2005
版表示 annotated ed
ページ数 xxi, 273 p.
大きさ 25 cm
ISBN 0300106998
NCID BA71911715
※クリックでCiNii Booksを表示
言語 英語
出版国 アメリカ合衆国
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