Re: The Oxford English Dictionary

Subject: Re: The Oxford English Dictionary
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 19:14:33 -0700

Wade Courtney wrote:

Does anyone have a subscription? Do you like it? Is it worth it.



I don't know of anyone who has a subscription; that's probably most useful for an institution rather than an individual, unless you're a professional linguist or etymologist, or interested enough in those subjects that you insist on having the latest authoritative information from the comfort of your workstation.

If you're simply interested in a reasonably current description of how English is being used, your best bet might be the AP or CP wire service style book; both are used by journalists and reasonably sane in their suggestions about how to use the language.

That said, the OED in any edition can be fascinating if you're of the right mind. It's one of history's great works of scholarship, with at least one citation (the earliest known) for every recorded use of a word. It's also the closest thing to a definitive guide to the English language - not because it lays any claim to authority (on the whole,it tends to be purely descriptive), but simply because it is so complete.

For me, the biggest problem is not getting totally sidetracked when I open a volume; most of the time, when I open it to track down one word, the next thing I know a couple of hours have passed and I still haven't got around to my original query. Definitely a dangerous asset.

--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"We thought that Brody's cat would save us from our plight,
She buried that old haggis where she does her jobs at night,
But early the next morning came a knocking at the door,
The pudding sat a-panting - the cat was seen no more."
-The Mollys,"The Haggis"


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The Oxford English Dictionary: From: Wade Courtney

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