The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-05
NEW
Second Volume of the Standard Die
tionary of the English Language.

Those people who have subscribed for
the Standard Dictionary publ1shed py
York and who have been impatiently
the It Second volume viii be pleas
ed to know that that yoiuI ne
the many dictionaries which have ap-
peared of late years scholars and phlio-
~logists are agreed that for general every
day use the Standard has no superior.
II has been designed upon original plans
and it's aim is to give In complete ana
accurate statement, in the light OF the
most recent advances in knowledge, ana
in the .readiest form for popular use,
the photography, pronunciation, meanlnS
and etymology of all the words and tpe
meaning of idiomatic phrases in the
speaking peoples. More than two hun
bred specialists and other scholars were
engaged in this gigantic task and after
many years of research and STUDY they
have given to the world a veritable Stan
dard Dictionary of the English IAN
uag
Throughout the construction of the
work it has been borne In mind that the
cord usage; not, except in a limited oe-
gree to seek TO create it.. Yet, when
custom or usage varies, 1t is important
hat a dictionary should be careful IN It's
preference to sanction theb best forms and
tendencies. 1t has manifold opportuni-
les to render good service TO the IAN
glage DIV CnaraClGIlZ1lS CSIld1l
and varied forms of words and certain
meanings or usages as archaic or obso-
lete, as foreign, dialect1c or p~roVlncial,a as
colIoquial, vulgar, slang or low, as lnele-
rant or enormously formed. In the STAN
dard the aim has been to help so Tar as
this may l~egitimately be done in a work
of its kind to simplify the l~anguage.The
editors of the various departments We're
urged to keep always in mind that the
essentials of a good dictionary are COM
prehensiveness, ccuracy and simplicity,
and it can be truthfully said that each
distinguishing feature of this work IS
justified by one or more of these requi-
sites.
Archbishop Trench, the eminent philo-
logist, has said tina a dictionary snould
be an inventory of the language. So the
makers of the Standard have presented
a very full vocabulary of the Engilsh
language as employed in literature, by
dictionaries general and special and COM
piling them into one alphabetic list.
Then the works of several thousand rep
resentative authors of the various stages
If English literature from the time of
Chaucer to the present, were e py
nearly five hundred readers, for words
and meanings and shades Of meanings.
In its efforts to help simplify by spelling
of words, the Standard is conservative
and yet aggressively positive along the
Ines of reform agreed upon almost unanc
imously by the leading ph1lolog1StS or
the United States and England, When
ever it has been found practical an ad-
vance step has been taken toward the
only scientific spelling, the phonetlc,
and when two ways of spelling the same
words are used by recognized authorities
preference has usually been given to the
simpler form. The exact meaning given
by authors of recognized standlng mas
been very extensively verified by a crit
ica1 examination Of many hundred thous-
and quotations. Nearly 100, OOO words were
examined for this purpose.
Another characteristic feature OF the
Gfandard Dictionary is its treatment of
and anotnyms. The purpose
has been to bring out sharply the finer,
nicer distinctions of words, especially
with reference to correct established
tations to verify or Illustrate the mean
ings of words the name of the author
and the title of the work; the volume
chapter and page, together, with the
name of the publisher and the yea OF
publication are given.
The Standard Dictionary abounds IN
pictorial Illustrations which have been
selected in accordance with the general
rule that pictures in a dictionary should
be illustrative of the text. In some ceses
the better to aid comparison a system
Of grouping has been adopted. as FOR in
gins with the letter u, and is of abont
been pictured on a single age the age
and Nationality of ZACH being given,
thus Facilitating a comparative study OF
such coins. Pages of illustrations thus
rrouped and made with the care exer-
cised in. the preparation of this diction-
ary cannot fail to present an interesting
and Instructive study.
Another attractive feature OF this work
Is the Dennison patent index which en-
ables one to turn at once to the letters
desired without fumbling through many
pages with much ~vexation OF spirit and
and loss of time. The second volume be-
stance in the plate of coins, many ancient
the same size of he first volume Which
contains about 1850 pages.