COED牛津简明英语词典介绍

简明牛津英语词典

Concise Oxford English Dictionary10-12ed COED

Concise oxford dictionary of current English1-9ed COD

《牛津现代英汉双解大词典(第12版)(百年珍藏版)》系获誉“现代英语之权威”的百年经典The Concise Oxford English Dictionary（曾简称COD，现简称COED）第12版的英汉双解版。COED自1911年诞生以来，与时俱进，日臻完美，畅销不衰，已成为全世界英语学习者的良师益友，更是中国高级英语学习者首选之工具书。第12版推出之际适逢COED百岁华诞，本双解版的推出具有特殊的意义，是一种纪念，更是站在历史新起点上的再出发。《牛津现代英汉双解大词典(第12版)(百年珍藏版)》收录240,000单词、短语和释义，涵盖全球各种英语变体。释义依托“牛津英语语料库”和“牛津阅读计划”引语语料库，力求精确、时新、简明易懂。在秉承关注当代英语的传统的同时，丰富呈现科技词汇，一如既往全面收录罕用、古旧和文学语言。语法、用法疑难点辨析较上一版有所增加，力图解决使用者感到棘手、有争议的英语问题。作为百年纪念版，《牛津现代英汉双解大词典(第12版)(百年珍藏版)》特设百年词义变化专栏，揭示一个世纪来英语词义的演变脉络。在设计上，力求直截了当、不解自明，尽可能少用词典专用符和惯例成规。最后，本双解版全面添加了最新的第18版国际音标，更好满足国内使用者之需。

“英国的《现代汉语词典》”：Concise Oxford English Dictionary被公认为最好的普通英文词典。Concise Oxford English Dictionary和《现代汉语词典》在定位、规模、特色、影响、地位诸方面颇为类似，《现代汉语词典》亦曾借鉴于前者，故有“英国的《现代汉语词典》”之说。

林语堂的“枕中秘”：林语堂先生对本词典推崇有加，称之为“枕中秘”。他在《我所得益的英文字典》一文中说：“字典辞书，从未听见人说可用做读物，更难使人有所眷恋不忍释卷。然而我对于《简明牛津英文字典》（即本词典）及《袖珍英文字典》（即《牛津袖珍英语词典》）却有如良友常伴的好感……”

海量、全面的收词：《牛津现代英汉双解大词典》收录240,000单词、短语和释义，涵盖全球各种英语变体。在秉承关注当代英语的传统的同时，丰富呈现科技词汇，一如既往全面收录罕用、古旧和文学语言。

精确、权威的释义：释义依托“牛津英语语料库”和“牛津阅读计划”引语语料库，力求精确、时新、简明易懂。

贴心的语法、用法难点辨析：力图解决使用者感到棘手、有争议的英语问题。

百年词义变化专栏：揭示一个世纪来英语词义的演变脉络。

最新第18版国际音标。

“潮”词云集：bromance（兄弟情谊）、cyberbullying（网络欺凌）、jeggings（牛仔式打底紧身裤）、mankini （男式比基尼）、retweet（转帖）、sexting（发送色情短信）、staycation（境内度假）、vuvuzela（呜呜祖拉）

在The Oxford English Dictionary（20Volume Set）基础上编写了一系列中、小型词典、The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary（2Vol.Set）、The Concise Oxford Dictionary of current English、Pocket Oxford Dictionary和Little Oxford Dictionary，此外还有Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary，其中以《简明牛津词典》最为突出。它虽属中型词典——而且中型中还是偏小的：The Concise Oxford Dictionary（1982年7版）也只40，000词条，连收在词条内的派生词、复合词，总共74，000词，篇幅仅Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary（1983年9版）的一半——但六十年来对全世界英语界影响极大，普遍认为是英语词典中的权威著作。

1常用词处理特别样尽

Fowler兄弟在词典初版序言中强调声明：这是一本词典（语词词典）而不是百科全书。他们把百科性的词汇和百科姓的释义的地位尽量让给对常用词的处理。每个民族的语言，其精髓、其灵魂总是它的最常用的单词和极大部份是由这些最常用的单词所构成的习语。有些词典往往对常用词的处理很简略。简略的原因正是认为这些词太常用，人们对它们太“熟悉”，无需多加阐释。这对于这一语言是母语的人们来说，似乎还有道理——其实也不然。而对于学习和使用这一语言的外国人，更是恰得其反。学习任何一种语言（尤其是外语）最大的困难是掌握这些常用词的繁多的意义和千变万化的用法。《简明牛律词典》的最大特点就是对常用词的处理特别详尽。一些最常用的介词、副词、go、put等动词、hand、way等名词，其释义、搭配、用法和有关习语之丰富，都远非其他一般词典所能企及。

关于释义，Fowler兄弟在他们所编《袖珍牛津词典》序言中说，给多义的单词罗列一些本身又是多义的同义词作为释义，既不限定其涵义，又不设用例的，那是“坏词典”。这种情况，我们在使用有些词典（如Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary）时常会碰到。对比之下，就知道《简明牛律词典》不同寻常。

《简明牛津词典》所收习语之多，更为突出。一般American College Dictionary百科性的内容比较丰富，所收复合词也多，但习语则少得可怜。而正因为习语极大多数是由常用词构成的，不收习语或少收习语，势必常用词词条只剩干巴巴几个释义。而且更根本的是：每种语言都有它大量的习语，习语是每种语言中最生动活泼的部分，词典如不反映这些生动活泼的部份，决不能算是一部完备的奸词典。而对使用者来说，习语的正确意义和正确用法又往往是经常有疑难，需要请教词典的。《简明牛津词典》中所收习语，如果整理出来，足以单独成为一本相当完备的习语词典。

2搭配和用法的说明

其他（包括Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary、Webster’s New World College Dictionary、Random House Webster’s College Dictionary、American Heritage College Dictionary，号称美国词典界的顶梁柱）词典也有这种说明，但其详尽程度远不能与《简明牛律词典》相比。

3简要

《简明牛津词典》原文名称叫“The Concise Oxford Dictionary”。照这本词典自己解释，Concise是brief but comprenhensive in expression的意思，即“简捷而内容丰富或全面的’的意思，汉语里难以找到一个完全同义的对应词，但“简要”似乎要比“简明”更接近些。事实上，福娄尔兄弟在煞费苦心解决“简捷”和“内容十富或全面”的矛盾时，难免有“简而不明”之处。这是好多读者都有同感，引以为憾的。其实体例弄弄清楚，多查查，查惯了，用熟了，许多原以为“不明”之处也“明”了。所以汉译书名用“简明”一词，还是切合实际的。

除了释文简要之外，《简明牛津词典》为了尽量简省篇幅，对那些不常见的词语的解释，就只能是简单明了，不多辞费。

Concise Oxford Dictionary，Tenth Edition编写依据是The New Oxford Dictionary Of English（1Vol），并非从Concise Oxford Dictionary，Ninth Editon修订而成；COD9源于The Oxford English Dictionary（20Volume Set）。

《简明牛律词典（9版）》例证丰富，反映词义的色采，说明搭配、用法，对使用者帮助尤大。不仅是常用词词条如此，一般词也然。

Concise Oxford Dictionary，Tenth Edition——长处：收词量大，覆盖面广，检索方便等；不足：大量压缩成语搭配，例证极少等。

1.First Edition(1911):The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English,adapted by H.W.Fowler and F.G. Fowler...from the Oxford Dictionary.(They wrote the last section S–Z before the Oxford English Dictionary had reached that stage.)

2.Second Edition(1929):The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English H.W.Fowler alone(his brother had died in1918,although his name is still on the title page).

3.Third Edition:(1934)was revised by H.W.Fowler and H.G.Le Mesurier.

4.5.Fourth(1951)and Fifth(1964)Editions were revised by E.McIntosh,who introduced the

space-saving swung dash that stands for the headword.The title page still read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English;but the description read'edited by H.W.Fowler and F.G.Fowler;based on the Oxford dictionary'.

6.Sixth(1976)and Seventh(1982)Editions were still called The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English,but the subtitle now read based on the Oxford English dictionary and its supplements first edited by H.W.Fowler and

F.G.Fowler.It was(thoroughly)edited by J.B.Sykes,catching up with the developments in the parent dictionary.

7.In the Seventh Edition,symbols were introduced to mark uses considered controversial or offensive.

8.Eighth Edition(1990):The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English,first edited by H.W.Fowler and F.G. Fowler was edited by Robert E.Allen.Being computer-based,this edition changed the original structure to a large extent.

9.Ninth Edition(1995)was edited by Della Thompson.

10.Tenth Edition(1999,revised2001)became The Concise Oxford English Dictionary.It was edited by Judy Pearsall.Rather than being a direct revision of the ninth edition,it was based on the larger New Oxford Dictionary of English(1998),which Pearsall had edited.Its compilation had involved a re-analysis of much of the core vocabulary using the British National Corpus.The tenth edition was also issued as an electronic resource,as a computer optical disc.

11.Eleventh Edition(2004,revised2006,2008and2009),the Concise Oxford English Dictionary was edited by Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson.It was based on the Oxford Dictionary of English(second edition(2003), which Soanes and Stevenson had edited).The Eleventh Edition is available on CD-ROM as an electronic e-Book for a variety of platforms.

12.Twelfth Edition(2011),the Concise Oxford English Dictionary was edited by Angus Stevenson and Maurice Waite.This edition included400new entries,including sexting,cyberbullying,gastric band,jeggings,retweet,and woot.

Celebrating the centenary of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary

The first edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary was published in1911.Edited by the brothers Henry and George Fowler from their cottage in Guernsey,and drawing on the work that had been done for the great historical account of English,the Oxford English Dictionary,the COD was not simply an abridgment:it was a completely different kind of dictionary,one that sought primarily to cover the language of its own time.

A century on,the Concise Oxford English Dictionary remains a bestseller.Look around your home or workplace and you’ll probably see a copy of the Concise.For generations the Concise has been the standard family work of reference.We are publishing the latest, 12th edition of the dictionary on August18th,2011,alongside a limited-edition facsimile of the1911edition.

Woot!Now domestic goddesses can upcycle their jeggings.

This brand-new edition draws on Oxford’s vast language research programme and contains more than240,000words,phrases,and definitions.Fully updated,it covers technical and scientific vocabulary as well as informal language and English from around the world.

This edition contains400totally new entries,including:

alternative vote:n.an electoral system whereby voters rank candidates in order of preference,candidates being eliminated and votes redistributed until one candidate achieves the required majority.

cyberbullying:n.the use of electronic communication to bully a person,typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

denialist:n.a person who refuses to admit the truth of a concept or proposition that is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence.

domestic goddess:https://www.wendangku.net/doc/e92343833.html,rmal a woman with exceptional domestic skills,especially cookery.

gastric band:n.(in the surgical treatment of obesity)a silicone devise placed around the upper section of the stomach to restrict the amount of food that can be comfortably eaten.

jeggings:pl.n.tight-fitting stretch trousers for women,styled to resemble a pair of denim jeans.

mankini:n.(pl.mankinis)a brief one-piece bathing garment for men,with a T-back.

retweet:v.(on the social networking service Twitter)repost or forward(a message posted by another user).n.a reposted or forwarded message on Twitter.

sexting:https://www.wendangku.net/doc/e92343833.html,rmal the sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone.

slow food:n.food that is carefully produced or prepared in accordance with local culinary traditions.

upcycle:v.reuse(discarded objects or material)in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

woot:https://www.wendangku.net/doc/e92343833.html,rmal(especially in electronic communication)used to express elation,enthusiasm,or triumph.

Indecent dancing,impaludism,and marconigrams

From the beautiful art deco detailing on the cover,to the faithfully reproduced pages themselves,the limited-edition facsimile of the 1911Concise Oxford Dictionary will delight and fascinate language-lovers and book collectors.

It includes an introductory essay from today’s foremost commentator on language,David Crystal,setting the book in the political and social context of its time,along with the original preface from H.W.Fowler and F.G.Fowler.

At the time of publication,the dictionary was warmly received:the Times Literary Supplement called it‘literally without rival’and The Scotsman said it was‘the best small dictionary extant’.

It is a fascinating glimpse into another world,one without radio,television,air travel,and many other things that the later20th century took as part of the everyday common experience.At the time,a jet was a stream of water,computer was not recognized,

a slogan was a Highland war-cry,a squadron referred to cavalry or ships,and holocaust primarily meant‘a wholesale sacrifice’.Soccer was spelled socker in those days,tyre as tire,and connection as connexion.

There are no entries for television or cinema,although it does have cockyolly bird(‘a nursery phr.for a

bird’),impaludism(‘morbid state...found in dwellers in marshes’),and kheda(‘enclosure used in Bengal&c.to catch elephants’). The wording in some definitions may seem strange or inappropriate:for example,beverage is defined as

‘drinking-liquor’,cancan as‘indecent dance’,and neon as‘lately discovered atmospheric gas’.‘He’is used in definitions where today‘he or she’or‘they’would be preferred.

Other fascinating words from the first edition include:

brabble:paltry noisy quarrel

foozle:(slang)do clumsily,bungle,make a mess of

growlery:growling;place to growl in,private room,den

marconigram:message sent by Marconi’s system of wireless telegraphy

Defining our language for100years

The Concise presents a fascinating record of the flow of new words entering our language over the century–and the social,cultural and technical influences that led to their creation.So,for instance rag-time was in the first edition,published in1911,while

the movies arrived in the revised first edition of1926.In1944anschluss,armoured column,and Gestapo were added to the third edition.But when the fifth edition was being compiled in1964,Beatlemania was sternly refused-though beatnik was included.

Words of the Century

We are supporting an exhibition by artist Jimmy Symonds called‘Words of the Century’,which is a photographic journey of words through the twentieth century.In it,the artist merges stunning monochrome photographs with words,exploring the evolution of language through atmospheric,poignant,and sometimes humorous visual illustration.The exhibition will be held at The October Gallery,London,from17-20August2011.

Both the facsimile edition of the1911Concise Oxford Dictionary and the brand new12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary publish on August18th,2011.If you would like a review copy,more information,or would like to interview one of our editors,please contact:

Kirsty Doole,Publicity Manager|kirsty.doole@https://www.wendangku.net/doc/e92343833.html,|01865353344|0755*******

Follow Oxford Dictionaries on Twitter:@OxfordWords

Notes for Editors

Notes to Editors:

The new,12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary publishes in four separate editions:

STANDARD EDITION–Hardback,with free centenary booklet￡25.00

CD-ROM-￡21.25(+VAT),full price￡25.50

BOOK&CD-ROM SET-￡32.50

LUXURY EDITION–Hardback￡30.00(October2011)

The centenary booklet,free with the standard edition of the COED,contains interesting facts and history about the Concise Oxford English Dictionary,and the Oxford Dictionaries programme.

The facsimile edition of The Concise Oxford Dictionary publishes in hardback,priced￡20.00.

Jimmy Symonds is a photographer,teacher and writer.He studied English Literature and Primary Education at the University of Cambridge,and later went on to the Royal College of Art to complete an MA in photography.His work has been exhibited widely, including London,Oxford,Madrid,Belfast,New York,Winchester,and Bangkok.Most recently he has been making artist books of his photographic images,which feature in the exhibition at the October Gallery.‘Words of the Century’consists of ten hand-made books of original photographs;each one takes a decade of the twentieth century and contains words or phrases from the OED,each one illustrated with a monochrome image from the artist’s archive.The photographs were taken between1995and2010.

A short history of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary

2011marks the centenary of the publication of the first edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary in 1911.In a hundred years the Concise has become a trusted record of the development of our language.Each edition has followed the tradition of the first in supplying a clear and up-to-date record of current English.

How it all began…

Oxford University Press had been working on the vast Oxford English Dictionary(OED)since the mid-nineteenth century.The first part had been published by1884and by1906they had reached the letter M.By then,the Press had a different project in mind:the production of a smaller,more accessible dictionary for the general reader.

To tackle this,Humphrey Milford,the then Assistant Secretary to the Delegates,decided to write to Henry and Frank Fowler,two brothers who had already worked with the Press on the usage guideThe King’s English.They were just the pair to take on the project which Humphrey described as a pleasant occupation taking up three hours a day.

In fact,it was an immense undertaking.The brothers sought to condense the mammoth resources of the OED,both published and archived,into one easy volume.Each word had to be scrutinized and selected and each entry carefully composed.To condense the OED the Fowlers removed nearly all archaic or obsolete words,but they also included a variety of slang and colloquial expressions to capture the English language as it was spoken in their time.

By1911the first edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary was finally complete,but publication was only the beginning.

A record of our language

The many upheavals and social changes of the twentieth century brought a constant flow of new words,and updating the Concise was an ongoing process.By1914the first‘addenda’or supplement was added to the first edition,including such additions as cinema,

movies,andZeppelin.1929saw the publication of a second edition containing new words coined during the First World War,including trench foot and trench coat.

The perpetual task of updating the Concise continued as each edition sought to include the newest words of its age:the1940s saw the inclusion of wartime phrases such as blitz and Gestapo while in the1950s new terms of science and technology such as antibiotic and clone were added.

Over time,the process of including new words has changed dramatically:in the early twentieth century the entire dictionary was set in metal plates which had to be melted down and recast to include any changes,so that it was much easier to include new words in addenda than to incorporate them in the main text.These metal plates were still being used well into the1950s.

Individual editors have made their mark on the dictionary over time.After the death of Frank in 1918and Henry in1934the editorship was taken over by Henry Le Mesurier and then Ernest McIntosh in1940.Both were schoolmasterly types who lived and worked in rented rooms in Exmouth,Devon.In many ways,the inclusion of words was down to their personal taste and influence.For example,McIntosh(by then70years old)was somewhat resistant to the swinging sixties and decided not to include words such as fab and mod,although beatnik was added.

After the death of McIntosh in1970the production of the dictionary was moved to Oxford University Press premises.Now a full team of people would work together on the research and selection of words and be able to work even more closely with the OED editorial team.

Into the digital age…..

The next great innovation was in1990,when the eighth edition of the Concise became computerized.Dictionary entries were keyed into a database,broken down into their elements (headword,pronunciation,part of speech,subject area,definition,example,etymology),and each element was surrounded by opening and closing‘tags’which allowed the retrieval of specific information from the database.The layout of the dictionary was redesigned for clarity and speed of access,and entries were written in clear,continuous prose.

The groundbreaking New Oxford Dictionary of English(1998)was the next leap forward for Oxford Dictionaries and became the main source from which the Concise was derived.This was the first English dictionary compiled primarily from the evidence of a corpus,the hundred-million-word British National Corpus.Now called simply the Oxford Dictionary of English,it forms the basis for the Oxford Dictionaries range,both in print and online.

The new twelfth edition

The new edition of the Concise is edited online and can be updated by editors all over the world, and is the work of a team of in-house and external editors,rather than two scholarly men living in Guernsey.However,the character of the Concise remains the same–it continues to reflect the development and growth of the English language as it is spoken in our own time.

Find out more about the Concise Oxford English Dictionary centenary