22 March 2021 - WHO COMPILED THE FIRST DICTIONARY?

 

WHO COMPILED THE 

FIRST DICTIONARY?

 

G'day folks,

This might interest you writers.

The first single-language English dictionary was published in 1604 by a man named Robert Cawdrey. Back then it was known as the “Table Alphabeticall.” Cawdrey was a teacher in England with a great interest in literature, science, medicine, and the arts. This was a time when the English language was growing and was greatly affected by trade, travel, and innovations in the fields of arts and sciences. 
 

Cawdrey, through 'Table Alphabeticall', attempted to introduce some hard and complicated words to the general public and wanted the English language to be better organized. The book had around 3,000 words but had no words beginning with J, K, U, W, X, or Y. A copy of this dictionary can still be found at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.


The foundations for modern dictionaries were laid by the great 18th-century lexicographer Samuel Johnson. He is renowned for having published the first genuinely reliable modern dictionary back in 1755 called ‘A Dictionary of the English Language’. It was so well-received that it became the standard dictionary for countless people for more than a century. The dictionary took over eight years to compile, contained 40,000 words, and required the assistance of six helpers to complete. Samuel also used over 114,000 quotations in the dictionary – a method that considerably impacted the style of future dictionaries.


Clancy's comment: Now, most people ask Mr and Mrs Google for help. Just sayin' ...

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