资源描述：
《Unit 2 Nine Years For A and B》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、NineYearsforAandB-ChristopherRicks17UnitTwoNineYearsForAandBChristopherisaBritishcritic.ThepresenttextishisreviewofCaughtintheWebofWords,abiographyofJamesA.H.MurrybyhisgranddaughterK.M.ElizabethMurray.————————————AboutthetextDr.Johnsonwasthegreatestmanwhomadeadictionary.----Samuel
2、Johnson(1709—84)wasoneofthemostimportant18thcenturyEnglishwriters.HisDictionaryAppearedin1755.ItwasthemostfamousEnglishdictionarybeforeWebster,andperhapsthebestbeforetheOxfordEnglishDictionary.BeforeJohnsonnostandarddictionaryoftheEnglishexisted.ThewanthadtroubledspeakersofEnglish
3、forsometime,bothbecauseItalianandFrenchacademieshadproducedmajordictionariesoftheirowntongues,andbecauseintheabsenceofanyauthority,Englishseemedtochangeutterlyfromonegenerationtoanother…Adictionarycouldhelpretardsuchchange.In1764agroupofLondonpublisherscommissionedJohnson,stillanu
4、nknownauthor,toundertaketheproject.Hehopedtofinishinthreeyears;ittookhimnine.Butthequantityandqualityoftheworkheaccomplished,aidedonlyby6part-timeassistants,madehimfamousas‘DictionaryJohnson’.Thedictionaryremainedastandardreferencebookfor100years.Hisachievementisnotablein3respects
5、:1.itssize(40,000words)2.thewealthofillustrativequotations(about114,000quotationsgatheredfromthebestEnglishwriters)3.theexcellenceofitsdefinitions(Thoughasmallselectionconcentratesonafewamusingornotoriousdefinitions,thegreatmajorityarefull,clearandtotallyfreefromeccentricity.Indee
6、d,manyofthemarestillrepeatedinmoderndictionaries.)JamesA.H.Murraywasthemanwhomadethegreatestdictionary.---Murray,SirJamesAugustusHenry,1837—1915,Englishlexicographer.From1879hewaseditoroftheNewEnglishDictionary(theOxfordEnglishDictionary),themajorworkofhiscareer;itwaspublishedin19
7、28.TheOxfordEnglishDictionaryisthelargestdictionaryoftheEnglishlanguagethathaseverbeenpublished.TheO.E.D.Consistsof12volumesandcontainsover400,000words.Itsessentialfeatureiswhatweoftenrefertoasthehistoricalmethod.ThemeaningandformofeachwordintheDictionaryaretracedfromtheirearliest
8、appearanceonthebasisofanimmensenu
