The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary of the English Language [antikvár]

T _J^L_his Dictionary of the English language is an entirely new work. It has been produced by the American Heritage Publishing Company, publishers of American Heritage, the magaziné of history; of Horizon, a quarterly devoted to culture and the arts; and of a wide spectrum of books. Since these enterprises were established in 1954, their editors have felt a deep sense of responsibility as custodians of the American tradition in language as well as history. Consequently, at a time when the language, already a historical melting pot, is under constant challenge-from the scientist, the bureaucrat, the broadcaster, the innovator of every stripe, even the voyager in space-they undertook to prepare a new dictionary. It would faithfully record our language, the duty of any lexicographer, but it would not, like so many others in these permissive times, rest there. On the contrary, it would add the essential dimension of guidance, that sensible guidance toward grace and precision which intelligent people seek in a dictionary. They will find it here, in a dictionary that is in many respects a notable departure from previous British and American lexicographical practice. To many people a dictionary is a forbidding volume, a useful but bleak compendium, to be referred to hastily for needed information, such as spelling and pronunciation. Yet what a dictionary ought to be is a treasury of information about every aspect of words, our most essential tools of communication. It should be an agreeable companion. By knowledgeable use of the dictionary we should learn where a word has come from, precisely what its various shades of meaning are today, and its social status. In the five years of preparation of this work, many of the leading scholars and scientists of the English-speaking world have collaborated with our permanent editorial staff in the enterprise of recording with accuracy and authority those eleby William Morris ments of our language which are of concern to literate people. The vocabulary recorded here, ranging from the language of Shakespeare to the idiom of the present day, is that of the educated aduit. The "educated aduit" referred to is, of course, a kind of ideál person, for he has at his fingertips a most comprehensive lexicon, not only for the conduct and discussion of everyday affairs, but alsó for all of the arts and all of the sciences. We have had the enthusiastic cooperation of many distinguished linguists, several of whom have contributed articles on their areas of special interest in the pages following. Morris Bishop, poet and past president of the Modern Language Association, comments with wit and keen perception on the levsls of usage to be found in our society today and the contributions of our Usage Panelists (described below) in resolving controversial questions of linguistic propriety. Morton Bloomfield, Professor of English at Harvard University, records the story of the evolution of the English language from its Germanic origins to the present day. Calvert Watkins, Professor of Linguistics and the Classics at Harvard University, contributes a fascinating account of the Indo-European origins of English. Henry Lee Smith, Jr., one of the nation's best-known linguistic scholars, Professor of Linguistics and English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, analyzes the relationships among the diverse American dialects. Richárd Ohmann, Professor of English at Wesleyan University and editor of College English, the journal of the National Council of Teachers of English, analyzes grammar and meaning in light of the most recent research. Wayne O'Neil, Professor of Humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explicates new insights into the relationship of spelling to pronunciation in English. Henry Kucera, Professor of Linguistics and of Slavic Languages at Brown University, describes the application of computers