The Art and Techniques of Lexicography: Second Edition

Author: Landau S.I. Zhang Yixia Huaxin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: The art and techniques of dictionary compilation, this dictionaryology monograph, is not unfamiliar to many, as the book was published in 1984 by publishers in the United States and the United Kingdom, and it is believed that many dictionary enthusiasts have read it. The second edition was published in 2001, and the author saw this book the following year and felt that it had made significant improvements based on the first edition, adding much new content. Therefore, the author asked graduate student Tian Bing to write a summary of the book, which was submitted to Mr. Zhou Hongbo of the Commercial Press in October 2002, along with an intention to translate and publish it. The Commercial Press quickly approved the project and settled the copyright. Mr. Zhou's work efficiency was astonishing. However, due to the author's numerous commitments and other reasons, the translation only began in November 2003. Here, we sincerely apologize to the readers and the publisher. After nearly a year of effort, we have finally completed the translation and proofreading of The Art and Techniques of Dictionary Compilation, presenting it to the in Chinese.
The second edition of The Art and Techniques of Dictionary Compilation is a summary of Sydney Landau's decades of experience in dictionary compilation. He shares his personal insights in dictionary compilation with the readers, covering everything from methods, principles, and the protection of lexicographers' rights to the handling of individual words. As he states in the "Introduction," the uniqueness of the book lies in it being "the firsthand experience of a lexicographer with extensive practice in the planning, management, and compilation of dictionaries; the writing style is like a heartfelt conversation between two people, rather than the condescending lecture of an assistant or a room full of students in academic robes." He speaks frankly about some current issues in the dictionary publishing industry, such as the practice of American and British dictionary publishers engaging in unfair competition by exaggerating the word count of their dictionaries. He dedicates a section to discussing the calculation of word counts (see Chapter 3), a practice unprecedented in other dictionaryology monographs.
Regarding the view that modern computer technology can significantly speed up dictionary compilation, thus making material conditions rather than human factors the key to quality, Landau points out that such a perspective undervalues the role of human initiative and skills in dictionary compilation (see Chapter 7). While computers allow people to accomplish more work in a given time, they also reduce the time available for dictionary compilers and the number of people involved in dictionary projects. Moreover, due to time constraints, many valuable resources, such as large corpora, are often underutilized, which naturally hinders the improvement of dictionary quality. Only those who have personally participated in dictionary compilation can have such unique insights.
The book mentions many dictionaries, and to save space, the original text uses numerous abbreviations. Even where abbreviations are not used, the names are often shortened, such as "Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition" being generally referred to as "Webster's New World College Dictionary" in the text without the full name. However, in the "Abbreviations List" at the beginning of the book and the "Bibliography Index" at the end, the full names are provided. In the translation, to maintain consistency throughout the book, we have used the full names, i.e., Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition.