[Lexicog] Re: Info on English language dictionaries (comparision)

[thlcolmdubh]

I too am awaiting the reply.  I am unlikely to change my stance that the
ORD 3rd ed. should be primary for British English and the
Merriam-Webster for American English.  I once devoted a single hour in a
Senior English class to a comparative study of English language
dictionaries.  The word got out and my prep school students found no
seats in the classroom because prospective English teachers from the
sponsoring university had taken all the seats.  I made all of the
university students leave until my students were seated and let them
argue over who got the ten remaining seats.  The rest crowded around the
door to listen.

I do believe that there is a market for such a site.

It is not just a matter of strengths and weaknesses but choices; e.g.,
some dictionaries list the oldest meaning first; others list the most
common meaning first.  The important thing is knowing which does what.



N. Scott Catledge, PhD/STD

Professor Emeritus

history & languages

--- In lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com, "Ivaylo Ivanov" <ivaylo at ...>
wrote:
>
> Hi to all,
>
> Can you point me to a source with a description of all the major
English Language (monolingual) dictionaries - namely, Oxford English
Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins Cobuild
Dictionary, Macmillan, Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, etc.
>
> Especially sources that describe the differences between their
editions, e.g. Oxford English Dictionary vs. Shorter Oxford English
Dictionary vs. Concise Oxford English Dictionary, etc.
>
> Wikipedia fails to give a comprehensive information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolingual_learner's_dictionary
>
> What are the major strengths and weaknesses of the different
publishers (Collins vs. Oxford vs. Longman vs. Cambridge, etc.)?
>
> Thank you in advance!
>

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