ABSTRACT
The past decade has seen a meteoric rise in the production of new dictionaries in Britain, accompanied by substantial if less spectacular progress in France and Germany (Stein 1979, Hausmann 1985). The phenomenon is remarkable not only for the number of new dictionaries published but also for their diversity and quality. Certainly in the case of English, growth has been greatly stimulated by its position as the leading language of international communication (Benson, Benson and Ilson 1986), and the opportunities of an expanding overseas market have sharpened competition between major publishers ( Cowie 1981a ). To some extent, however, the appeal of the dictionary remains traditional and emblematic. ‘The Dictionary’ shares with ‘the Bible’ the grammatical distinction of the definite article; both occupy space on the same shelf in the home; both are turned to as repositories of truth and wisdom (Quirk 1973, McDavid 1979). The recent surge of buying is at least partly explained by the assumed soundness and authority of dictionaries as compared with much present-day language teaching in schools (Hausmann 1985).
