Tuesday 26 February 2013

The Letter A

oxford lit1I have always been interested in words and dictionaries. When I was at college I read my way through the Oxford Companion to English Literature – effectively a dictionary of who’s who in English literature with a lot of word meanings thrown in for good measure. It was whilst I was there that I also received my first gift of a dictionary.

oed cI think that at the time I was using some version of Collins or Chambers dictionary but a girl friend gave me the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Bearing in mind how hard up we all were and how special a book it is I have treasured it ever since. Even though both older and newer editions have subsequently come my way it is still the one I turn to as ‘my dictionary’. (Thanks Judy!) I began to read my way through it but gave up at the end of ‘A’. I think the need to do a little bit of work on my degree forced me away from words for a while.

oed sSome years later I bought the larger two volume Shorter Oxford and that has been the one to which I turn as the voice of authority for my word blog. I’ve never managed to afford the complete Oxford (and if I had had the money, the space it requires might have been an issue!).

Words and phrases for my word blog have come from a variety of sources. In the beginning it was primarily words that I came across while reading, the meaning of which I had to look up. Then there were also words that were answers in crossword puzzles or word games that were equally new or unfamiliar to me. To those words and expressions were added words that I came across while reading books about lost or unusual words like Mark Forsyth’s ‘The Horologicon’ or Novobatzsky’s ‘Depraved English’. Dr John’s Dictionary has been another fun source as I have read my way through a couple of books of extracted words from it, like the Penguin Classic version by David Crystal.

paintingIn case you are wondering about the relevance of that picture – it has none… 

Phrases tended to be ones which struck me as familiar but whose origin I didn’t know. So, in a conversation, for example, Partner or I would suddenly say ‘I wonder where that expression comes from?’ Looking it up would yield an answer of interest and onto the blog it would go.

Gradually I added words which were more familiar to me but which I thought might be less familiar to readers whose first language was not English. This was because my two most enthusiastic commenters were (and still are) in that category.  Thanks Meike and Monica.

oed2And now I have one more source. I’m reading the dictionary again. The two volume Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, to be exact. We bought it in an Oxfam shop in Chester a couple of weeks ago. 180213 dictionaries 4652The word blog is scheduled a long way ahead but in a couple of months you can expect a lot of letter A words to appear….

20 comments:

  1. I do enjoy your word blog. Not that everything sticks in memory... Hopefully some things do(?) I have the first two books here. Concise Oxford + the M Drabble one. I have never read all of it but looked things up. Getting lazy now with the internet... Should use the Companion more when I read the classics! :-)

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  2. You are welcome, John - and thank YOU for coming up with such great explanations and unusual, always interesting and/or entertaining words and phrases!
    I love all things language but I don't think I'd really stick to it if I ever started on reading an entire dictionary.

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  3. Words have always held great interest for me, and especially so after I learned the French language.
    I am so happy for you, that you are enjoying reading the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary. I know you will be throwing lots of new words our way...can't wait!!
    I love learning new stuff, and yours and GB's blogs keeps me on my toes.

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    1. I should really have mentioned my French Dictionary as well, Virginia. It is very special to me. It was given to me in the Delivery Room by Partner-who-loves-tea as a thank you when David was born. (I rather think all the thankyous should have been the other way round but I did give her a present as well!!!)

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  4. I still have a Collins dictionary from the 60's and I LOVE it - it contains words that saddly, seem unheard of nowadays.

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  5. Hi scriptor senex,
    It would be the very thrilling and happy moment for me when I took new dictionaries in my hands in my school days. I would also enjoy the texture of the dictionaries. But time passed and changed. Now I am using an electronic dictionary.
    I remember the times I was using "Learner's Dictionary, helping learners with real English" by Collins Cobuild.
    Your post reminded me of many things related to the dictionaries.
    Have a wonderful week!
    keiko from Nara where it has been still very cold.


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    1. We've had a lovely warm week and I've got some more gardening done even since writing the post.

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  6. I love books and dictionaries too. When I graduated from high school, my dad's cousin gave me a dictionary, and a copy of Roget's Thesaurus. I still have the thesaurus, but I had to be an adult though before I could afford a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary (one volume).

    Have you read the book, "The Professor and the Madman" which tells the story of the compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary. A fascinating book -- I can immediately recall the name of the author, and will have to get on line to search it out. I do have a copy somewhere but it seems to be lost on the shelves at the moment ... a sorry thing to have to admit, but there you are, it is what it is!

    By the way, the picture that's there for no reason? That's the very best reason for it to be there -- because it's pleasant and colourful!

    Have a great day, xoxox Carol

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  7. Simon Winchester. Simon Winchester is the author who wrote "The Professor and the Madman". It's a really interesting book...

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    1. No, I haven't read it, Carol, but I have his 'The Map That Changed the World' sitting on my shelves waiting to be read. I've now ordered 'The Professor and the Madman' by Simon Winchester. It has cost me 1p (plus £1.77p postage) so it better had be good or I'll count you as owing me a penny. :-D

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  8. Although having neither your dedication to nor knowledge of words I, too, have always loved dictionaries. I still use them frequently despite the immediacy and constant availability of the world of words on a smartphone. I can always remember as a small child the surgery of Dr Dorothy A Gough (Physician and Surgeon) which contained a huge glass-fronted book case (several in fact) but the one behind her had The Oxford English Dictionary on the shelf at my eye height as I was sitting down. The sheer number of volumes overawed me as a small child. It still does!

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    1. Ah, Dr Gough. Those were the days. My favourite memory of her was of her coming to the house on one occasion expecting me to be just trying to get off school because of a 'sore knee'. Between the time of Mum phoning and her arriving it had swelled to about three times normal - I'd got bursitis. So her expression went from one of stern disapproval (which she could do very well) to sympathy (which she was equally good with) in seconds. She was remarkably caring and had a very soft spot for Mum.

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    2. Oh yes she did stern and caring very well - as she did everything. Of course that was in the days when doctors did routine house visits. She did hers in a Vauxhall Velox EIP (the Velox was the successor to Uncle Eric's 14). I also recall that her surgery had a very distinctive medical smell. She was a very remarkable lady.

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  9. Oh, I should have known that an Oxford Dictionary would be as abundant as encyclopedias were back when I was a young bride! But if any of the two-volume one exists on Amazon.com, I MUST have it! I have gained new words by reading British mystery writers' works. I have a small A to Z Dictionary, but I often find it wanting. Unlike snowwhite, I seldom use an electronic dictionary, I find them wanting too, especially when using medical terms when I'm journaling.
    cheers!

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    1. I do use electronic dictionaries but I have to admit it always feels like 'cheating' as though only 'real' dictionaries on paper are a valid way to check upon a word.

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    2. In exceptional circumstances I will use books to solve crossword puzzles. If I have to resort to the computer than I take the view that the setter of the crossword has defeated me.

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  10. I've never seen the illustrated dictionary. I've only ever seen the Larousse with illustrations - which is pretty hopeless for me since my French is abysmal.

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  11. I forgot to say, and without re-reading it all I can't recall exactly what made me think of it, but one of my favourite pictorial dictionaries is my Oxford-Duden French Dictionary.

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    1. That is, without doubt, the very best illustrated dictionary ever produced and I can still recall my thrill at discovering it in my teens.

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  12. Apparently some of the latest words to be added to the dictionary are things like 'ex' 'Q I', quite useful for scrabble.
    Just given me another thought - ' A 'scrabble' of grandchildren!

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