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How To Read A WordStock informationGeneral Fields
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DescriptionHave you ever wondered how you can find out more about a word: Where did it come from? How has its meaning altered? How can it be pronounced? What is its relationship to other words? Language is not fixed, but is an evolutionary process: words develop and change, in meaning, association, and pronunciation, as well as in many other ways. Exploring the routes taken by the words we choose to investigate leads us on fascinating journeys. How to Read a Word, written by the noted lexicographer Elizabeth Knowles, shows us how we might delve into the origins, associations, and evolution of words, and is primarily concerned with the following two points: what questions can be asked about a word? And how can they be answered? Utilising the unrivalled resources and the language-monitoring programs of the Oxford English Dictionary, the book leads you through the various stages of investigation into the myriad aspects of individual words, from etymology to date of first use and regional distribution, and from spelling and pronunciation to shifts in meaning. Table of contentsINTRODUCTION; 1. But is it in the dictionary?; 2. Unlocking the wordhoard; 3. The art of interrogation: what questions to ask; 4. The art of exploration (i): where to look for answers; 5. The art of exploration (ii): how to look for answers; 6. Interpreting the evidence: understanding what we have found; 7. Over to you: building up your own word files as a word explorer; 8. Afterword - 'Oranges are not the only fruit': an examination of satsuma and related terms to illustrate the range of possibilities for exploration; APPENDICES; Pathways of English; Overview of Dictionary History; Where to Look: a selection of online resources; Key tips for online research; Glossary; INDICES; Subject index; Word index |