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Unit 9: Dictionaries

Self Assessment Notes

State whether the following statements are true or false:
7. Publishers have resorted to producing dictionaries which combine in them the features of
encyclopaedia thesaurus or even handbooks.

8. Collins has merged two essential reference books into one by combining Collins English
Dictionary and New Collins Thesaurus.

9.3 Types of Dictionaries

Dictionaries can be divided into different categories according to their nature and scope of
contents. Generally librarian’s categories those into the following four groups, as it facilitate
them in the organization of the reference collection. We shall discuss all these types briefly.
9.3.1 General Language Dictionaries

They are names so as they deal with the common words of a language. They are most popular
and readily used dictionaries and may be classified into three groups according to the purpose,
size, volume and user’s age.
Purpose (i) Prescriptive

(ii) Descriptive
Size (i) Unabridged
(ii) Semi-abridged or Desk

(iii) Abridged or Pocket
User’s age (i) children
(ii) Junior

(iii) Adult

Task Prepare slides presentations to classify dictionaries into three groups according to
the purpose, size, volume and user’s age. Consider suitable examples.
Dictionaries are compiled for two basic purposes. These are:
(i) To set authoritative standards for spelling, pronunciation, meaning and usage.

(ii) To record the worlds of a language with all their spellings, pronunciations, meanings and
uses. The dictionaries compiled with the first purpose are known as ‘prescriptive’. They
contain only the standard and approved words worthy of use.

Example: Dr, Samuel Johnson’s ‘Dictionary of the English Language’ is a very apt example
of a prescriptive dictionary.
While the descriptive dictionaries are compiled with the purpose they include all the acceptable
words used at the time of compilation.

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