Types of Dictionaries
These dictionaries may not be very large in size, yet each contains much more detailed information on the subject that you can find in a general unabridged one.
English Lexicology
Readings Task XI Check
• Chapter 13, 14 & 15 of A Survey of English Lexicology • Key points in the book will be discussed next week
Review of Lecture XI
Webster’s New World Dictionary Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary
Types of Dictionaries
Pocket Dictionaries
These dictionaries have 50,000 entries or fewer. Such a dictionary provides only the spelling and pronunciation of each word with a few most common meanings.
Types of Dictionaries
Bilingual Dictionaries
Bilingual dictionaries involve two languages. The main entries are generally defined or explained in the same language with translations as Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English with Chinese Translation, and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English with Chinese Translation.
Types of Dictionaries
But such a dictionary is the most complete description of words available to us. It provides a great quantity of basic information about a word: its origin, meaning, pronunciation, cognates, usage, grammatical function, spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, derived forms, synonyms, and homonyms. The best-known unabridged dictionary is Webster's Third New International Dictionary.
4. History of Lexicography 5. Types of Lexemes
Lexicography & Lexicology
Lexicography is sometimes called a sub-branch of lexicology, but lexicography itself is an important branch of applied linguistics, the science of dictionary compiling. They both deal with the same problems, such as the form, meaning, usage and origin of vocabulary units.
Lecture XII English Lexicography
Lecture XII English Lexicography
1. Lexicography: definition 2. Lexicography & lexicology 3. Types of dictionionaries
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is a book that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning (containing synonyms and sometimes antonyms), in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations. The largest thesaurus in the world is The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, which contains more than 920,000 words and meanings.
Types of Dictionaries
Specialized Dictionaries
Specialized dictionaries concentrate on a particular of language or knowledge, treating such diverse topics as etymology, synonyms, idioms, pronunciation, usages in language, and computer, engineering, literature and a variety of other subject.
Types of Dictionaries
Encyclopedic Dictionaries
Encyclopedic dictionaries have the characteristics of both linguistic dictionaries and encyclopedia. In such dictionaries one can find the general information as in a linguistic dictionary and limited encyclopedic information as well. One example is Chamber’s Encyclopedic English Dictionary published in 1994.


Monolingual dictionaries Bilingual dictionaries Thesaurus Encyclopedic dictionaries Unabridged dictionaries Desk dictionaries Pocket dictionaries Specialized dictionaries

British English variants and dialects American English variants and dialects Other variants
5. American English 6. Differences between British E. & American E.
Lexicography & Lexicology
The compiler’s approach to various lexicological problems always finds reflection in the selection and arrangements of the material.
Types of Dictionaries
An encyclopedia is not concerned with the language itself but provides encyclopedic information concerning each headword. There the reader cannot find pronunciation or meanings or usages but other information. The well-known ones are The Encyclopedia Britannica in 20 volumes and The Encyclopedia Americana in 30 volumes.
Types of Dictionaries
Monolingual Dictionaries
Monolingual dictionaries are written in one language. That is, the headwords or entries are defined and illustrated in the same language. The monolingual dictionary is rather a late development because the earliest dictionaries were all bilingual.
1. English idioms 2. Features of English idioms

Stability Idiomaticity Syntactic Inseparability National In Character
3. The global language 4. Regional varieties
Types of Dictionaries