CHAPTER 13:

DICTIONARIES, THESAURI, AND ALMANACS

This chapter discusses some outstanding dictionaries,  thesauruses, almanacs and explains their role in research.

 

In Chapter 2, we briefly discussed the way in which thesauri can help you find synonyms for the main concepts in your research question. This chapter is an amplification of those remarks within the context of a more general discussion of dictionaries and almanacs.

It does seem appropriate to begin a chapter about dictionaries with some definitions. First, a dictionary is, typically, a book that lists words and terms in alphabetical order and gives their various meanings and pronunciations. 

STANDARD dictionaries choose their words from the entire vocabulary of a particular language. ABRIDGED standard dictionaries define commonly used words. UNABRIDGED standard dictionaries define most of the words of that language. 

The best medium-sized abridged English language dictionary is probably the AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
It has many special features, is attractively designed, and includes many illustrations and pictures. It also includes a large number of brief biographies and an interesting discussion of the English language. This dictionary is available on the Internet: http://www.bartleby.com/61/

The most famous unabridged English language dictionary is the OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY (20 Vols.). Commonly referred to as the OED, this dictionary first was published in 10 volumes in 1928, and regularly supplemented with additional volumes. In 1989 a comprehensive, re-edited 20-volume edition appeared. This edition is far easier to understand and to read than its predecessor. It defines over 600,000 words and illustrates their various meanings with some 2,500,000(!) quotations from English literature. If a word has two or more meanings, the meanings are arranged chronologically, with the earliest recorded meaning first.

You can access the OED simply by choosing the Find Articles link from the Library's website, and select Oxford English Dictionary in the alphabetical listing. 

Two important unabridged dictionaries are: WEBSTER'S NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, (2nd. ed., 1950) which emphasizes traditional definitions; and WEBSTER'S THIRD NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY (1986) which contains some half million words and emphasizes current American usage.

SPECIALIZED dictionaries come into being because every specialized activity develops a specialized vocabulary.  Specialized dictionaries present and define the important words and phrases of a specialized vocabulary which contains technical and jargon words used by specialists to communicate with one another.  

Many such dictionaries do not actually have the word "dictionary" in their titles. Instead they may be entitled "Handbook of …" or "Encyclopedia of …" But if their aim is to define a specialized vocabulary, they are specialized dictionaries, whatever their title. Because specialized dictionaries are more limited in scope than general dictionaries, they present the vocabulary of their subject area in much greater detail than even unabridged dictionaries. 

Examples of specialized dictionaries include: 

BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (ref KF156.B53 1999)
BREWER'S DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE (ref PN43.B65 1989)
DICTIONARY OF COMPUTING (ref QA76.15.D526 1997), and
TABER'S CYCLOPEDIC MEDICAL DICTIONARY (ref R121.T144)

More and more specialized dictionaries are becoming available on the Internet. Most can be found easily by using a search engine such as Google and using the word dictionary as a search term, or any other term that specifies the kind of specialized dictionary you are hoping to find; for example, psychology dictionary. 

As was pointed out in Chapter 2, a thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms. Standard and specialized dictionaries sometimes include in the definition of a word one or two synonyms for that word. But since almost the sole purpose of a thesaurus is to provide synonyms, it does the job much more thoroughly. Find the word fault in a thesaurus, for example, and you will discover that the words "blemish", "debility", "deficiency", and "weakness" are all synonyms for this concept. If a word commonly has more than one meaning, e.g., soul, you’ll find synonyms for each of those meanings. 

The most famous English language thesaurus was created in 1852 by Peter Mark Roget (sounds like row-JAY). That is why "Roget" almost has become a synonym for thesaurus. The name is now public property and is attached to several quite different thesauruses, including: 

ROGET'S INTERNATIONAL THESAURUS (ref PE1591.R6),
ROGET'S 21ST CENTURY THESAURUS (ref PE1591.K54)
ROGET'S II (ref PE1591.R715).

ROGET’S II and several other thesauri are now available on the Internet. To access them, use a search engine such as Google and just type in the word thesaurus. 

Just as there are specialized dictionaries, there also are specialized thesauri. Their purpose is to list synonyms and technical terms specific to an area of specialized knowledge or a special topic. Specialized thesauruses include: 

INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL THESAURUS (ref Z695.1.C55I52)
ART AND ARCHITECTURAL THESAURUS (ref Z695.1.A7A76)
A WOMAN'S THESAURUS (ref Z695.1.w65w65 1987)

Similar to dictionaries, an Almanac is an annual compact compilation of facts and statistics which contain a wide array of information, timely articles and reviews of sports, events, films, politics, etc. of the year just finished.  Everything from country data to famous people, important events and activities, and subjects of general interest, almanacs are a compendium of a wide array of information.  

The keys to using a printed almanac are the almanac’s subject index and a good imagination. The subject index lists all of the major subject headings. Imagination helps you decide which subject headings are likely to include the personality, event, or numbers in which you are interested. For example, if you want information about a famous person but cannot find her/his name in the subject index, look for a subject heading such as "celebrities" or "famous people."

An important British almanac that is devoted primarily to political and economic topics is THE ANNUAL REGISTER: A RECORD OF WORLD EVENTS (ref D2.A7).

A particularly popular United States almanac is The World Almanac (ref AY67 .N5 W7 -  latest year at ref. desk), which contains a wide array of information, timely articles, and reviews of sports events, films, politics, etc. of the year just finished.      

Though still useful, printed almanacs are increasingly being displaced by Internet almanacs. For example, http://www.infoplease.com will take you directly to the Information Please website. Comprehensive Internet reference websites (e.g. example http://www.libraryspot.com) also provide direct links to Internet almanacs.      

The advantages of Internet almanacs are impressive. They permit keyword searching, are accessible from anywhere in the world, cover several years rather than just one, and provide instant links to related topics.  But they do have at least three big disadvantages: (1) they have no index; (2) it is often difficult to guess what keywords will actually snag the particular bit of information you want; and (3) moving from webpage to webpage by means of links can leave you both lost and confused. For these reasons, you will need to practice to effectively use Internet almanacs.     

Click on link to go to the Assignments page and print Assignment THIRTEEN

http://library.boisestate.edu/skills/locate/assignments.htm