...and the Passion of Lexicographers.
In
elementary school, when I couldn’t spell a word (which happened a lot
having an undiagnosed learning disability) I would ask the teacher for
help. The answer I would always get was, “Look it up in the dictionary.”
This would frustrate me to no end. If I could spell it, then I could
look it up. But since I couldn’t spell it, I couldn’t look it up to
figure out how to spell it so I could look it up. I would return to my
desk defeated.
Why am I telling you this? Because there was a time when teachers weren’t able to give you the impossible task of looking up something you didn’t know how to spell.
The
earliest known dictionaries date back to 2300 BC. These were uniform
tablets consisting of word lists from one language to another.
Through
the centuries and across numerous countries, other dictionaries were
created. Many not more than these word lists and glossaries, and all
contained only a small portion of words from the culture.
One of the first to include definitions and etymologies came out of Ireland in the 9th century, consisting of 1,400 Irish words.
There
had been "hard word" dictionaries for a few hundred years. A "hard
word" dictionary was a compilation of words people might not know,
leaving out all common words. But just who determined which words most people wouldn’t know?
Though
various cultures have had their own version of dictionaries, I want to
focus on English ones or we'll be here all day. The first English
dictionaries were glossaries of French, Spanish, and Latin words with
explanations of their meanings. In 1220, John of Garland, an Englishman,
invented the word “dictionary.” Richard Mulcaster, in 1582, created the
Elementarie, an early non-alphabetical list of 8,000 English
words. (How would you ever find the word you want if it wasn’t
alphabetical? Dictionaries are cumbersome enough without throwing the
words in at random. In truth, they were mostly by topic.)
In 1604, Robert Cawdrey, an English schoolteacher, created A Table Alphabeticall, the first Alphabetical dictionary. (Thank you, Cawdrey.) Though considered the standard by which other dictionaries imitated, it was unreliable and not definitive.
Throughout
the 1600s, various dictionaries were published by people who felt what
their predecessors created wasn’t good enough. Everyone tried to improve
on what was out there, but no one really did. Because there was no
single, definitive source, sometimes in old documents and writings,
words would be spelled different ways.
The first “modern” dictionary, A Dictionary of the English Language
(1755) by Samuel Johnson, was more reliable than earlier forerunners of
dictionaries. For over 150 years, Johnson’s dictionary was the standard
in England.
Meanwhile across the Atlantic Ocean, American Noah Webster published his first dictionary in 1806, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language.
But Webster didn’t stop there. He began compiling a new version, expanded and fully comprehensive, in 1807 called An American Dictionary of the English Language.
This took him twenty-seven years to complete. In order to evaluate the
etymology of words, he learned twenty-six languages, including French,
Spanish, Latin, Greek, German, Italian, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Arabic, and
Old English (Anglo-Saxon). (That is dedication.)
Webster's
dictionary contained 70,000 words, 12,000 of which had never appeared
in any dictionary before. It was Webster who changed many words from the
British spelling to something simpler. For instance, he removed the “u”
from such words as colour and honour making them color and honor,
changing the “re” and the end of some words like theatre and centre
making them theater and center, and waggon to wagon. He also added
American words like skunk and squash that weren’t in British
dictionaries. In 1840, a two-volume second edition was published. In
1843, his dictionary was acquired by G & C Merriam Co and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary was born.
For some time, British academics wanted a definitive collection of ALL
the words in use with spelling and definitions, but they didn’t have
anyone willing to tackle the humongous task. A committee (formed in
1857) was seeking a person to undertake and oversee the endeavor of
creating a comprehensive, single-source for words. Different people were
in charge of the project, but none made significant progress until
James Murray came along in the 1870s.
The Oxford English Dictionary
(OED) didn’t happen overnight. It took nearly fifty years to complete,
and encompassed twelve large volumes, which were released as they were
finished. The first volume of The Oxford English Dictionary was published in 1884. The OED was completed in 1928.
Today, most people consider the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and The Oxford English Dictionary to be the definitive sources on English words.
I can’t imagine the undertaking it was to create a credible dictionary. I’m glad I didn’t have to complete such a task.
THE QUILTING CIRCLE
Historical Romance Series
By Mary Davis
THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily the man she loves?
THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *2020 Selah Awards Finalist & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.
THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *2021 Selah Awards Winner & WRMA Finalist*– Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?
THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) –Complications arise when a fancy French lady, Geneviève, steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.
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