How to Read a Word - Hardcover

Knowles, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199574898 ISBN 13: 9780199574896

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Language is not fixed, but evolves over time, and exploring the routes taken by the words can lead us on fascinating journeys. How to Read a Word, written by the noted lexicographer Elizabeth Knowles, shows us how to explore the origins, associations, and evolution of words, focusing in particular on two points: what questions can be asked about a word? And how can they be answered?

How to Read a Word offers clear guidance on how to explore the various aspects of words, with chapters on pronunciation, spelling, date of first use, etymology, regional distribution, and meaning, all spiced with intriguing examples. For instance, Knowles offers a fascinating account of how the word "scientist" originated in a public debate in 1834, explains The Economist's jocular suggestion that "fish and chips" be spelled "ghoti and tchoghs," and weighs in on the "nuclear-nucular" controversy. Knowles also discusses the ever-expanding range of sources available to the curious word-hunter, from general and specialist dictionaries to websites devoted to areas of language, from Project Gutenberg and Google Book Search to various online newspaper archives. Knowles shows readers how to use this sometimes overwhelming mass of resources to get the best result, and how best to interpret the evidence retrieved. We learn, for example, how to use Google News to search the phrase "thin as a " as used today, uncovering hundreds of variants, from "thin as a supermodel" to "thin as a lizard."

Thought-provoking and practical, this guide provides readers with the essential tools to confidently interrogate the words by which we are surrounded. How to Read a Word is the perfect gift for anyone who is fascinated by the development and intricacies of the English language.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Knowles is a historical lexicographer who previously worked on the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Her editorial credits include the 7th edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, What They Didn't Say: A Book of Misquotations, and the Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs.

Reviews

Back in 2008, Ammon Shea gave us Reading the OED, and now Knowles, a historical lexicographer who worked on the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, takes a more granular approach to dictionary analysis. Her step-by-step process in “unlocking the wordhoard” starts with understanding the elements in a dictionary definition, then looking beyond the dictionary definition to other sources in order to explore usage and context. The web is rich in possibilities, ranging from dictionary and word sites to search engines such as Google. A chapter is devoted to understanding how to use various resources, and another to understanding what is found. Finally, there are suggestions to the reader about building his or her own cache of word files. A helpful annotated list of online general and specialist dictionaries, thesauruses, corpora, and word sites rounds out the book. Numerous examples of the author’s own word hunts help convey her love of language and might inspire others to set out on similar journeys. --Mary Ellen Quinn

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199574898
• ISBN 13: 9780199574896
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208