Empire of words : the reign of the OED / John Willinsky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Willinsky, John, 1950-

Contributor:

JSTOR (Organization)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Oxford English dictionary.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries--History and criticism.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries.

English language--Lexicography.

English language.

English language--Etymology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 258 pages)

polychrome

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [1994]

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Willinsky analyzes the favored citation records from the three editorial periods of the OED's compilation: the Victorian, imperial first edition; the modern supplement; and the contemporary second edition composed on an electronic data base. He reveals shifts in linguistic authority: the original edition relied on English literature and, surprisingly, on translations, reference works, and journalism; the modern editions have shifted emphasis to American sources and periodicals while continuing to neglect women, workers, and other English-speaking countries. Willinsky's dissection of dictionary entries exposes contradictions and ambiguities in the move from citation to definition. He points out that Shakespeare, the most frequently cited authority in the OED, often confounds the dictionary's simple sense of meaning with his wit and artfulness. He shows us how the most famous four-letter words in the language found their way, one hundred years later, through a belabored editorial process into the supplement to the OED. Willinsky sheds considerable light on how the OED continues to shape the English language through the sometimes idiosyncratic, often biased selection of citations by hired readers and impassioned friends of the language. Anyone who is fascinated with words and language will find Willinsky's tour through the OED a delightful and stimulating experience.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-249) and index.

Electronic reproduction. New York Available via World Wide Web.

Print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Willinsky, John, 1950- Empire of words.

ISBN:

1400813840

9781400813841

9780691037196

0691037191

Publisher Number:

99969135977

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.