A guide to world language dictionaries

Abstract

This single-volume reference offers a practical, evaluative guide to the main general dictionaries of the world's languages. It provides selective, critical annotations to help users choose the most appropriate dictionary for their purpose. The survey covers 275 languages with a written literature, and indicates the best source of word histories and best grammars. Organized in alphabetical order by language, it appraises the main dictionaries, assessing the special value of each, its strengths, pitfalls for the user and how different dictionaries complement one another. For each language there is a chart showing the script, transliteration and the exact alphabetical order followed in the dictionaries. Featuring an introduction outlining the history of dictionaries and their development, the book assesses dictionaries of slang, colloquialisms and dialects, and describes historical periods for each language, speaking problems and special conventions. An explanation of International Phonetic Alphabet is included as well as indexes of authors, titles, alternative language names, dialects and names of scripts.