Module6WhyDoWeNeedDictionaries?PartTwo:TeachingResources第二部分:教学资源Section2:Backgroundinformation1.SomethingaboutSamuelJohnson塞缪尔·约翰逊（1709-1784）：英国散文家、文艺评论家、词典编撰家。约翰逊博士是十八世纪英国文坛的祭酒，他曾费时七年独立完成睥睨英国文坛的《英文字典》，而他如大熊星座君临众星的魅力，则在他那充满人生智慧的谈论对话、罕见的巧妙言谈、那意想不到的比喻、卓越的修辞、洋溢的机智中体现。SamuelJohnsonwasborninLichfeldasthesonofabookseller.Hischildhoodwasmarredbyillhealth:atubercularinfectionaffectedbothhissightandhearingandhisfacewasscarredbyscrofula.JohnsonwaseducatedatPembrokeCollege,Oxford.Hisfatherdiedin1731andleftthefamilyinpoverty.Johnson'sstudieswerecutshortandhereturnedtoLichfield,affectedbydepressionwhichhauntedhimforhislife.HeworkedasateacheratthegrammarschoolinMarketBosworthandpublishedhisfirstessaysintheBirminghamJournal.In1735hemarriedMrsElisabethPorter,awidow20yearshissenior.TheystartedaschoolatEdial,nearLichfeld,buttheschooldidnotprosper.Johnson'slackofdegreeandconvulsivemannerismshinderedhissuccessasateacher.TwoyearslatertheymovedtoLondonwhereJohnsonworkedforEdwardCave,thefounderofTheGentleman'sMagazine.Whenheappliedtoapublisherforemployment,hewasfoundunfitforthejob."Youhadbettergetaporter'sknotandcarrytrunks,"hewasadvised.ThedeathofthepoetRichardSavage,whowasJohnsonfriend,gaverisein1743tohisfirstbiographicalwork.HeaddressedtoLordChesterfieldhisPlanofaDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguagein1747andworkedforeightyearswiththeproject.LordChesterfieldrefusedtosupportJohnsonwhilehewasatworkonhisdictionaryandlaterJohnsonwrote:"ThismanIthoughthadbeenaLordamongwits;butIfind,heisonlyawitamongLords."ApatronwasinhisDictionary"onewhocountenances,supportsorprotects.Commonlyawretchwhosupportswithinsolence,andispaidwithflattery."Johnson'slongestpoem,THEVANITYOFHUMAN用心爱心专心116号编辑WISHES,appearedin1749.OnthatsameyearhistragedyIRENEwasstagedandappearedatDruryLane.Betweentheyears1750and1752heeditedCave'smagazineTheRambler,writingnearlyallofitsnumbers.WhenCavediedin1754JohnsonwrotealifeofthebooksellerforTheGentleman'sMagazine.Johnson'sworkingmethodasawriterwascomplex:hefirstmadearoughdraft,then"turnedoverinhismindalltheLatinwordsintowhichthesentencecouldbeformed.Finally,hemadeupLatin-derivedEnglishwordstoconveyhissense."(fromTheMarchoftheLiterature)2.OxfordEnglishDictionary,2nded.,IsAvailableontheWebAfterservingtheColumbiacommunityforthepasttwoyearsononlyafewterminalsandinplain-text,theOxfordEnglishDictionary,2nded.,(OED2)isnowavailableontheWebforfull-textsearching.TheOED2isofcoursethemostcompletehistoricalrecordoftheEnglishlanguage.AnydescriptionofitbeginstosoundlikeitsentryintheGuinnessBook:thelargestdictionaryoftheEnglishlanguage,containing615,000wordformswith139,900pronunciations,219,000etymologies,and2,436,600quotations.ThehistoryoftheOEDparallelsthehistoryofmodernpublishing.Conceivedin1858asaprojectofthePhilologicalSocietyofEngland,publicationbeganin1884andhascontinuedformorethanacenturyto1989.In1879,SirJamesMurray,theprimaryeditoroftheOED,builta"Scriptorium"tohousethemorethantwotonsofpaper"slips"thatformedtherawmaterialoftheseries.Thecompletefirsteditionwasnotpublisheduntil1928.And,itwasn'tuntil1972thatthe4-volumeSupplementbegantobepublished.TheSecondEditionconsolidatesthefirstedition,the4-volumeSupplement,aswellas5,000newwords.However,topublishtheOED2...
