Samuel Johnson & His Dictionary

HS im WS 2005/6: Standardization of the English language Dozent: Prof. Dr. Busse

Presented by: Xiao, Mei; Wu, Jiayin

Lifeline

Samuel Johnson, Writer Born: 18 September 1709 Birthplace: Lichfield,

England Died: 13 December 1784 Best Known As: Editor of

A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)

Early Life and Works 1728 He entered Oxford but was forced to leave after a year for lack of

funds.

1729-1735 He sustained himself as a bookseller and schoolmaster.

1735 He married Elizabeth Porter, a widow 20 years his senior, and remained devoted to her until her death in 1752.

1737 Johnson settled in London and began his literary career in earnest. Edward Cave's Gentleman's Magazine—poetry and prose on subjects literary and political.

1738 Poem “London” published anonymously, praised by Pope; won Johnson recognition in literary circles.

1744 Life of Savage, a bitter portrait of corruption in London and the miseries endured by writers.

1749 The Vanity of Human Wishes.

1750-1752 The Rambler, essays.

Later Life and Works 1755 Dictionary of the English Language, the first comprehensive

lexicographical work on English ever undertaken.

1759 Rasselas, a moral romance.

1761 The Idler, a collection of his essays.

1764 Johnson and Joshua Reynolds founded “The Club” (later known as The Literary Club).

1765 Johnson's long-heralded edition of Shakespeare appeared.

1770s Johnson wrote a series of Tory pamphlets.

1773 He toured the Hebrides with Boswell and published his account of the tour in 1775.

1779-1781 Lives of the Poets, his last major work.

A Dictionary of the English Language

Published in London: Printed by W. Strahan in 1755

Written in 1747-1755

42,773 words

114,000 quotations

The Plan of A Dictionary of the English Language

(1747) Johnson aims to compile ‘a dictionary by which the

pronunciation of our language may be fixed, and its attainment facilitated; by which its purity may be preserved, its use ascertained, and its duration lengthened.’

- Two major decisions discussed by Johnson: The delimitation of the dictionary: what to put in and what

to leave out; that of the authority and the basis on which his decisions are made.

The Features of the Dictionary

Numbered senses i. natural and primitive signification

ii. consequential meaning

iii. metaphorical sense

iv. Any observation that arises from the comparison of one meaning with another

The Features of the Dictionary

Illustrative quotations 114,000 quotations from books to illustrate the

meanings of words The first lexicographer to introduce quotations

from modern authors – Shakespeare, Milton and Dryden – into an English dictionary, and Johnson was making these authors into modern classics.

Citations in Latin and Greek languages

The Features of the Dictionary

Domains Johnson is the first to recognize that language

is made up of multiple areas of discourse, or domains, each with its own specialized vocabulary, and each with its own specialized meanings for words, even if these words were common words of the language.

Johnson's version Most frequently, Johnson quoted Shakespeare, Milton and

Dryden. However, if he didn't like a quotation, or if a phrase didn't convey the exact meaning he required, he did not hesitate to chop, twist around, or rewrite a few words.

Johnson also recognized, however, that language is difficult to fix.

Unlike most modern lexicographers, Johnson introduced humor or prejudice into many of his definitions.

Criticism Johnson limited his explorations, searching only through

the books on his own shelves, or those lent to him by friends and acquaintances.

Johnson was criticized for imposing his personality on to the book.

Johnson's etymology would be considered poor by modern standards, and he gave little guide to pronunciation.

Literature

Tony Crowley, Proper English?: readings in language, history and cultural identity.

Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, CDROM.

http://www.fab24.net/jd100203/index_.htm

-The End-