1. Dictionary
DICTIONARY

2. HISTORY

3. What is a “dictionary”?
 A book containing a selection of words of a language or a
some special subjects arranged alphabetically with
explanation about them.
 a collection of words in one or more specific languages,
often listed alphabetically, with usage
information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics,
pronunciations, and other information.

4. a dictionary may be regarded as a lexicographical product that
is characterized by three significant features:
(1) it contains data that have been selected for the purpose of
fulfilling those functions; and
(2) its lexicographic structures link and establish relationships
between the data so that they can meet the needs of users
and fulfill the functions of the dictionary.
(3) it has been prepared for one or more functions;

5. USES
 Define or translate words
 verify spelling syllabication or pronunciation
 check on usage (prescriptive and descriptive)
 to determine the etymological history of a word
 to an extent, standardize the language

6. 3 types of Dictionary:
COMPACT
 is, naturally, a small pocket sized variety that
is somewhat limited in the scope of it's content.

7. GENERAL
 lies somewhere between specialized and compact
dictionary.
 the most common version that people would have in
their home and is the best for everyday use.

8. FUNCTIONS:
 to provide definitions,
 proper pronunciation,
 correct spelling
 and derivations
 any restrictive labels attached to a word.

9. 1. Unabridged
Dictionaries
 contains 265 000 of words and more.
 Unabridged dictionaries are the most scholarly and
comprehensive of all dictionaries, sometimes consisting of
many volumes.
 They emphasize the history of words and the variety of their
uses.

10. Examples of Unabridged Dictionary
• Webster’s 3rd new international dictionary. 1961
• The random house dictionary.
• The Oxford English Dictionary, (20 volumes)
• The Random House Dictionary of the English Language
• Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English
Language

11. 2. Abridged Dictionaries
 often called desk dictionaries, list 150,000 to
250,000 words and concentrate largely on fairly
common words and meanings. A good desk
dictionary will serve most reference needs for
writing or reading.

12. Examples of Abridged Dictionaries
 The American heritage dictionary
 Webster’s new collegiate dictionary
 Webster’s new world dictionary of American language
 The random house college dictionary
 The American heritage dictionary

13. 3. Reduced-Word Dictionaries
 Limited to under 60,000 words
Example:
Oxford American dictionary ( 30,000
WORDS)

14. (Specialized Dictionaries)
 specialized dictionary is a dictionary that covers a relatively
restricted set of phenomena.
 an exhaustive volume that specialises in the history of words.
 It enlarges on where words come from and how they acquired
their present meaning.

15. Example of Specialized Dictionaries
 Dictionary of American regional English
 The random house cross- word puzzle dictionary

16. Etymological/Diachronic Dictionary
 The diachronic or historical dictionary has a special class in it
which can be called etymological.
 Shows and gives history of words
 An etymological dictionary traces a word's development
over time, giving historical examples to show changes.

17. Example of Etymological/ diachronic dictionary
 Oxford English dictionary
 Ancient Greek Etymological Dictionary
 Afroasiatic Etymological Dictionary

18. Slang dictionaries
Reasons for importance:
 Indicates the variations of meanings of a given slang terms
of words and to trace thier history
 Defines all expression well
 Aids authors in finding words which will covey the
background , class, or occupation of a given character

19.  Just for pain curiosity and interest
Example of slang dictionaries:
 dictionary of American slang
 Thesaurus of slang
 New dictionary of American slang

20. Synonyms and Antonyms
 Synonym- a word with the same/similar meaning
 Antonym- words that mean the opposite

21. Example:
 Roget’s international thesaurus
 Roget’s thesaurus of English of words and phrases
 Webster collegiate thesaurus
 Webter’s new dictionary for synonym

22. Dictionaries of Abbreviations and
Acronyms
Subject Dictionaries
 Explain particular meanings for particular words/
terms for professions, occupation, or areas of
subject interest.

23. Example:
 Harrod’s Librarians Glossary Terms
 ALA Glossary of Librarian and Information Science

24. Foreign Language Dictionaries:
 The cassel’s series
 Dictionary of foreign phrases and abbreviations
 Larrousse also publishes dictionaries

25. Biographical Dictionary
 Biographical dictionaries – ESSAY FORM
 type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information –
have been written in many languages.
 Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with
limitations, such as living persons only, in Who's Who, or deceased
people only,
Example:
 Dictionary of National Biography

26. Current Biographical Dictionaries
are published at regular intervals and provide
information about contemporaries, for example,
biographical works of the “Who’s Who” type.

27. Example:
 Current Biography
 The New York Times Biographical Service
 Newsmakers (Gale Research Co.)

28. Retrospective Biographical Dictionaries:
a work containing information about the lives and work
of various persons, usually listed alphabetically; some
dictionaries classify persons by time period or descriptive
category.

29. Example:
 MC gram hill encyclopedia of word biography
 Webter’s new biographical dictionary
 New century cyclopedia of names

30. Retrospective Biographical
Dictionaries: National
 Dictionary of American Biography
 Dictionary of American Negro Biograph
 Who Was Who – Britain
 Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume 1607-
1896

31. The End…
Thank You for Listening!!!