An actual headword count is not given, though the publisher's Web site puts the number at 97,600. Although the preface does not cite the number of new entries, publicity from Oxford states that 3,500 new words have been added to this edition. The dust jacket from the work claims it has "more than one third of the coverage of the OED" and more than half a million definitions, with 83,500 illustrative quotations from 7,000 authors. Words obsolete by 1700 are still included, however, if used by authors such as Shakespeare or other "influential literary sources." Headwords are traced back to their earliest usage. Like the previous edition, this work "sets out the main meanings and semantic developments of words current at any time between 1700 and the present day." Words such as achtande, knottle, or pompal (all present in OED Online) that are obsolete, obsolete variations, or rare are therefore not included. Still, some welcome changes have been made. The general coverage of the volumes remains largely unchanged from the fourth edition, however, even retaining the previous edition's preface and adding a briefer preface for the current edition. Given some of the advance publicity and advertisements, Oxford is clearly aware that to win in the dictionary wars (at least in the eyes of the general public), it is necessary to emphasize newer words added to the dictionary. Bill Trumble is Projects Manager for English Dictionaries and Thesauruses at OxfordĬonsidering it was 20 years between the third and fourth editions of this work, this "abridgement" of Oxford's flagship OED after fewer than 10 years is most welcome. Her team numbered at its height sixteen lexicographers, plus numerous researchers and advisors. Offering clear, authoritative, and precise information, with the in-depth and up-to-date coverage that users need and expect, the New Oxford American Dictionary is the benchmark by which all other American dictionaries are measured.The Editor-In-Chief, Lesley Brown, brings over twenty year's experience of historical lexicography to the project. Thus readers can be confident that the first definition they see is the one most likely to be used by people today, and is not a sense that has been obsolete for two centuries. Unlike in more traditional dictionaries, where meanings are ordered chronologically according to the history of the language, each entry plainly shows the principal meaning or meanings of the word, organized by importance in today's English. One of the hallmarks of the New Oxford American Dictionary is the way it reflects the living language. Usage notes have been updated in light of the most recent Corpus evidence. Many new words relate to fast-moving areas such as computing, technology, current affairs, and ecology, while others have recently entered the popular lexicon. The Third Edition offers a thoroughly updated text, with revisions throughout and approximately 2,000 new words, phrases, and meanings. The dictionary draws on the two-billion-word Oxford English Corpus and the unrivaled citation files of the world-renowned Oxford English Dictionary to provide the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered in any dictionary. With more than 350,000 words, phrases, and senses, and hundreds of explanatory notes, this dictionary provides the most comprehensive and accurate coverage of American English available. ” - Booklist STARRED REVIEWĪs Oxford's flagship American dictionary, the New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country. “More current than its closest rival in size.This is a ‘buy’.
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