A dictionary is a reference book that lists words arranged in alphabetical order. In addition, it gives information about the words' meanings, etymologies (origin and history), forms, pronunciation, spellings, uses as idioms, and functions as a part of speech. For certain words, it lists synonyms and shows how their meanings are similar but different. It may also provide illustrations, if appropriate, such as a table, a map, a photograph, or a drawing. There are two types of dictionaries: desk dictionaries and unabridged dictionaries.
ELEMENTS OF A DICTIONARY ENTRY
Meaning and Etymology. For most words, the enumeration of meanings dominates the length of the dictionary entry. Each meaning is listed in order by number, but the significance of this ordering varies among dictionaries. Some dictionaries give the most widely accepted current meaning first; others list the meanings in historical order, with the oldest meaning first and the current meaning last. A dictionary's preface indicates whether current or historical meanings are listed first. In some dictionaries, a meaning specific to a certain field of knowledge is so labeled (function, mathematics; parallel, music).
Information about the origin and history of a word (its etymology) is given in brackets.
Spelling, Word Division, Pronunciation. The entry gives the prelerred spelling of the word followed by variant spellings (catalog/catalogue), if any. The entry also shows how the word is divided into syllables, by inserting a dot between each syllable (regard).
The pronunciation of the word is given in parentheses following the boldfaced entry word. The phonetic symbols (called diacritical marks) are explained in a key in the front pages of the dictionary; and an abbreviated symbol key, showing how the symbols should be pronounced, is found at the bottom of each page. Words sometimes have two pronunciations; though both are accurate, the one given first is the preferred pronunciation.
Part of Speech and Word Endings. The entry gives the word's part of speech
in, noun; v, verb; ad), adjective; and so on). Any irregular forms, such as plurals and verb tense changes, are shown in boldface.
Synonyms. Many entries include a listing of synonyms, words similar in meaning to the entry word. The listing usually includes a brief discussion of how the meaning of each synonym is distinct from the others.
Usage. Usage labels indicate the appropriate (or, in some cases, inappropriate) use of a particular meaning of a word. The most common labels include nonstandard, colloquial, informal, slang, dialect, archaic, vulgar, British, and obsolete.
Some dictionaries include usage notes as well as labels. These notes, which discuss interesting or problematic aspects of the correct use of a word, are based on the advice of a panel of experts assembled by the dictionary's editors and on actual usage in books, newspapers, and periodicals.
Illustrations and Graphics. Some dictionaries include illustrations (usually photographs or line drawings, sometimes charts) to help clarify the meaning of certain words or to put them in context.
TYPES OF DICTIONARIES
Desk Dictionaries. Desk dictionaries are often abridged versions of larger dictionaries. There is no single "best" dictionary, but there are several guidelines for selecting a good one. Choose the most recent edition. The older the dictionary, the less likely it is to have the up-to-date information you need. Select a dictionary with upward of 125,000 entries. Pocket dictionaries are convenient for checking spelling, but for detailed information the larger range of a desk dictionary is necessary. The following are considered good desk dictionaries.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 3rd ed. 1993.
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. 1993.
The Random House College Dictionary. Rev. ed. 1991.
Webster's New World Dictionary of American English. 3rd college ed. 1994.
Unabridged Dictionaries. Unabridged dictionaries provide complete and authoritative linguistic information. They are impractical for desk use because of their size and expense, but they are available in libraries and are important reference sources.
The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., is the standard historical dictionary of the English language. Its 20 volumes contain over 600,000 words and give the chronological developments of over 240,000 words, providing numerous examples of uses and sources.
The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., contains about 315,000 entries and uses copious examples. It gives a word's most widely current meaning first and includes biographical and geographical names.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (1981), contains over 450,000 entries. Word meanings are listed in historical order, with the current meaning given last. This dictionary does not list biographical and geographical names, nor does it include usage information.
ESL Dictionariesdictionaries are more helpful to the nonnative speaker than are regular English dictionaries or bilingual dictionaries. The pronunciation symbols in ESL dictionaries are based on the international phonetic alphabet rather than on English phonetic systems, and useful grammatical information is included both in the entries and in special grammar sections. In addition, the definitions are usually easier to understand than those in regular English dictionaries; for example, a regular English dictionary defines opaque as "impervious to the passage of light," and an ESL dictionary defines the word as "not allowing light to pass through." The definitions in ESL dictionaries are also usually more thorough than those in bilingual dictionaries. For example, a bilingual dictionary might indicate that obstacle and blockade art synonymous but not indicate that although both can refer to physical objects ("The soldiers went around the blockade [or obstacle] in the road"), only obstacle can be used for abstract meanings ("Lack of money can be an obstacle [not blockade] to a college education").
The following dictionaries and reference books provide helpful information for nonnative speakers of English.
Longman Dictionary of American English: A Dictionary for Learners of English Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, edited by Paul Proctor Longman Dictionary of English Idioms, Laurence Urdang Scott, Foresman Dictionary, E. L. Thorndike and Clarence E. Barnhart
Of the dictionaries for native English speakers, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is one of the most useful because of the simplicity and directness of its definitions.
