The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-11
INVENTORY OF
OUR LANGUAGE
That Is What E1glShmsn Have in the New
Standard Dictionary.
ITS MERITS ARE VERY NUMEROUS

Although Possessing a Vocabulary
Considerably Larger Than the Gen.
tury Dictionary, It Compasses the
Whole Field in Two Neat Volumes
of a Thousand Pages Each-lnnova-
tions That Seem Daring, Yet Have
the Sanction ofthe Highest Scholar
ship-Other Features Briefly Re-
viewed.
To the great majority of writers and
readers of English the fundamental
purpose of an English dictionary is to
spell and define the live words in the
English language. The accomplish
ment of this task is no mean triumph,
since each day adds to the number of
permissible words and to the tleXibility
of their employment in eXpressing-Or
concealing-thought. And while the
average mans working vocabulary is
said to contain scarcely 80 many words
as are employed in this article, it does
not suffice in this age of diversified
learning to spell and define only those
words which are in common use. The
dictionary would be deemed deficient
We're it to omit a single word, however
strange, against which its owner might
chance to stumble in the course of his
literary rambles. Thus instead of
glosSaries introducing to us the forms
and meanings of few thousand words,
wetOdav have mammoth cOmpendlums
of leXicographical learning which
struggle to outdO each other with re-
spect TO the size of their vocabularies,
the extent of their definitions, deriva-
tions, etyu illogical details and illustra-
tions, and the number of their quota
tons, synonyms and antOnyms.
Whereas bluff old DIR. Johnson-re-
spect to his memory-fOund only 45,-
600 in the language l39 years ago, and
Stormonth only $4,000 words; the old
Webster 0,00O-regarded at the time
as no mean achievement-and WOrces-
ter 10000 words, this generation has
seen the Webster Unabridged raise the
total to llS,000 the Webster Interna-
tlonal lift it to 10000, the Encyclo-
pedic hoist it to 10000, the Century
at incalculable expense elevate it to
more than 225,000 and now, as an ul-
innate coup d'etat, we are presented
with the Standard dictionary New
York; Funk & Wagnalls company
which puts the aggregate at the far
upward notch of 800 600 words, includ-
ing many thousand bona.fide scientific
designations IN electricity, physics,
psychology and the other progressive
sciences which, while increasingly COM
mon were either not born or not sutfi
ciently familiar in time to acquire a
harborage in the Century's vocabulary.
+++
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Standard dictionary spells and defines
almost $4,000 m re words than any
other dictionary known, the surprising
truth is that il does this to the eminent
satisfaction of ninety nine persons out
Of every hundred in One-third the
space occupied by the Century diction
ary and in very little more space than
is taken up by the new Webster's Inter
national The first test of dictionary,
whether the book is big or small, is It's
fidelity to the truth. 1t must be accu.
rate; it must be authOri its schol-
arshipmustc carry conviction tothe mind
of its most captious user. Deferring
for the moment our consideration of
the scholarship represented in the vol
ume under review, we wish 10 empha.
size the impOrtanc of the eXtraOrdi-
narily wel-dOne condensation eviden.
ced in the Standard dictionary, which
brings within convenient size and
price a vocabulary of the English
tongue superior to anything ever be.
fore attempted in this direction. That
comparison with the Century die
tionary is instantly suggested by sight
of the Standard involves no mean
compliment to the former, since it is in
effect recognition of the fact that in
the Century the English spea inc
people have their most pretentious and
ad uirable wOrd-treasury, which has
already become the standard by which
other dictionaries are judged. But
though we concede every known excel
lence of scholarship to the Century, We
must reserve one point fatal to its wide
spread usefulness. 1t is too large tC
be consulted except at intervals; and il
is too costly to reach the mass of those
who need dictionaries most urgently
When it is said that the two-vulumt
Standard dictionary covers more
ground than the Century in manner
commanding equal if not greater con
tidence, in one-third the space and a
almost one-fifth the retail cost, yer
diet is pronounced upon 1t that, if true
must have far reaching influence upon
American letters.
Let US see if this verdict be true
Let us, in other words, begin a minut,
inspection of the books in question
with a view to locating its merits
Reversing precedent, the STANDARD
dictionary, after presenting, in blacl
type the word it wishes to define, cap
italizing it only when it would b,
capitalized in literary use, gives, frs
of all, the words proper pronunciation
as indicated in the diacritical mark
ings agreed upon by the American
Pathological association, the Philologi
cal Society of England, the ModerI
LuilS udSG usSlCldJlOll uuu stNtIul Ol lie
bodies of corresponding eminence
These markings are known as tn,
"Standard Phonetic Alphabetu and
while at first glance appearing strang,
to the eye that has long been accus
toned to the clumsy symbolism em
ployed by Webster and Worcester
they soon become familiar, and, whel
thus marked, win admiration for thei
great simplicity and convenience
This new method of indicating pro
nunciation has the sanction of ever,
prominent authority in the llnguisti
sciences in this country. 1t was en-
thusiastically championed by the lat,
Professor Whitney, who edited tn,
Century dictionary; it is indorsed b,
Professor March of Layfal ette, VIII,
ia the consulting editor of the Stand
ard dictionary, and, indeed, to emu
merate its advocates would be simpl
to present catalogue of the names @
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