Dictionaries on line

[Robert Orr]

Another small point:

Sometimes the words provided in dictionaries are only meaningful to a
"subset within a subset" of speakers.  For example, the capercaillie is only
found in Russia, Scandinavia, and Scotland.

Because of where I grew up, I'm quite familar with the capercaillie in its
wild state (OK, I've only seen a couple...).  So when I came across
"gluxar'" - "capercaillie" in a glossed reading passage, I thought no more
of it, and only became aware of the problem when in Russia I bought a set of
wildlife prints (which I really will have to get framed some day), and I
remember English studens in my group not recognising the  "gluxar'"

Later, when I read the chapter on animals in Genevra Gerhart's excellent
"The Russian's World" (which has a rather nice treatment of the problems
under discussion, with examples) : " and the chances are "capercaillie means
nothing to someone who has just looked up "gluxar'" in a dictionary", my
reaction was "yes, it does!".


Robert Orr

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