The Art and Techniques of Lexicography (Second Edition)

Author: (American) Landau, S.I. (Author), translated by Zhang Yihua and Xia Lixin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: The Dictionary Compilation: Art and Technique is not unfamiliar to many, as this monograph on lexicography was published in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1984, and it is believed that many dictionary enthusiasts have read this book. The second edition was published in 2001, and the author saw this book the following year and found that it had made significant improvements based on the first edition, adding much new content. Therefore, the author asked Tian Bing, a Ph.D. student, 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 Dictionary Compilation: Art and Technique, presenting it to Chinese dictionary workers and enthusiasts in Chinese. The second edition of The Dictionary Compilation: Art and Technique is a summary of Sydney Landau's decades of experience in dictionary compilation. He shares his personal insights in dictionary compilation with readers, covering everything from methods, principles, and the protection of lexicographers' rights to the handling of individual words. As he himself states in the "Introduction," the uniqueness of the book lies in it being "the personal insights of a lexicographer with extensive experience in the planning, management, and compilation of dictionaries; the writing style is like a close conversation between two people, rather than the condescending instruction of assistants or students in academic robes surrounding him." He speaks frankly about some current issues in the dictionary publishing industry, such as the practice of American and British dictionary publishers exaggerating the word count to engage in unfair competition. He dedicates a section to discussing the calculation of word counts (see Chapter 3), a practice never seen in other lexicography monographs. Regarding the view that modern computer technology can significantly speed up dictionary compilation, thereby 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 can enable 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, useful resources, such as large corpora, are often not fully utilized, which naturally hinders the improvement of dictionary quality. Without personal experience in dictionary compilation, it is difficult to 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, which is generally referred to as Webster's New World College Dictionary in the text without the full name. However, in the "Abbreviation List" at the beginning of the text 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."