bent in dictionary scope

[David Barnhart]

For folks so well understanding of dictionaries, this discussion seems to
have blithered on long enough, don't you think?



If the OED was perceived by none other than Sir William Craigie as somewhat
"selective", why would he have felt the necessity of journeying to Chicago
to undertake _A Dictionary of American English_?  I believe Bradley (a
British journalist?) was the one who oversaw [??] the production of the B's
after critiquing the early fascicles for the letter "A".  So, why shouldn't
we understand that there is a certain greater attention in a British book to
British English and a certain other bent towards American in an American
book.  I doubt that any one dictionary can succeed in covering to the
satisfaction of some people all varieties of English regardless of their
color/colour remembering that the sun never sets on the English language.
[Does anyone know where _whoonga_ (the South African word) comes from?]



I'm going to Boston to vote for WOTY.  And my vote (in the first round,
anyway) is pledged to _fiscal cliff_.  It may not be as important to British
speakers of English but I'm sure it is on this side of the puddle.



Regards,

David

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