Custom Search
Individual Evaluations / Dictionaries
____________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Acronyms, Initialisms, & Abbreviations Dictionary
The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations
Dictionary of American Slang
Merriam-Webster Online
Oxford English Dictionary
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language
YourDictionary
Acronyms, Initialisms, & Abbreviations Dictionary
Citation
Romaniuk, B. R. (2006). Acronyms, initialisms & abbreviations dictionary A guide
to acronyms, abbreviations, contractions, alphabetic symbols, and similar condensed appellations : covering aerospace, associations, banking, biochemistry, business, data processing, domestic and international affairs, economics, education, electronics, genetics, government, information technology, internet, investment, labor, language, law, medicine, military affairs, pharmacy, physiology, politics, religion, science, societies, sports, technical drawings and specifications, telecommunications, trade, transportation, and other fields. [Farmington Hills, Mich.]: Thompson/Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/eBooks?ste=22&docNum=CX3457199999.
Authority
Published in 2006 by Thomson Gale, a leading publishing company for schools, libraries, and businesses.
Format
Hardcover; one volume divided into three sections.
Scope
Weighing in at 21.9 pounds, this tome contains over 586,000 acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations on a wide variety of topics.
Understandability
The intended audience is high school students and the general public. The index is organized alphabetically letter by letter and the writing is straightforward and easy to read.
Comprehensiveness
If there is any doubt as to the comprehensiveness, refer to the subtitle which lists at least 30+ fields covered.
Currency
Copyright date is 2006.
Cost
The new 2009 edition sells for $1250
The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations
Citation
Andrews, R. The Columbia dictionary of quotations. (1993). New York: Columbia University Press.
Authority
This quotation dictionary is published by Columbia University Press; the fourth oldest university press in the United States.
Format
Hardcover
Scope
This dictionary lists 18,000 quotes that are alphabetically arranged by their speaker. An effort has been made to include classic as well as contemporary quotations.
Accuracy
Each quotation has a detailed accurate citation.
Emphasis
The quotations in this book have been chosen for their appeal based on relevance to modern life. Notable speakers weigh in on every topic from adoption and obesity to adolescence and leadership.
Understandability
Written in a style that encourages browsing, this book has broad appeal from the casual reader to the serious student.
Comprehensiveness
From Frank Zappa, Lenin, Marlon Brando, Desmond Tutu, to Emily Dickinson and Andrea Dworkin, this dictionary offers pearls of wisdom through the ages, many of which strike a humorous note.
Currency
This edition was published in 1993.
Value-added features
There are 1,500 alphabetically arranged subjects and in this edition there are more than 11,000 quotations that have never appeared in a quotation book before.
Cost
$92.00
Dictionary of American Slang
Citation
Chapman, R. L., Wentworth, H., & Kipfer, B. A. (1995). Dictionary of American slang.
New York: HarperCollins.
Authority
Published by HarperCollins Publishers, one of the world’s leading English-language publishers.
Format
This edition is available in hardcover.
Scope
This third edition includes more than 19,000 terms of American slang, and covers all periods of American history, including the slang of gypsies, soldiers, African Americans and gays and lesbians to name a few of the categories of slang covered.
Accuracy
The editors state that this is an “archive of the way America is really talking”, with terms researched for authenticity.
Understandability
Written for the casual reader, this edition includes pronunciation guides, word origins, and examples of appropriate usage. They also have highlighted slang that should never be used in proper social situations
Comprehensiveness
This edition pays close attention to the rapidly changing landscape of slang, in particular where technology is concerned. There are more than 2,000 new terms documenting the slang of the 1990s in great detail.
Currency
While this is only the third edition in 35 years, the editors have made every effort to update the slang and have included an astonishing variety of slang from every subculture in American life.
Cost
The 4th edition published in 2007 is available for $45.
Merriam-Webster Online
Citation
Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved 10 April, 2009, from http://www.m-w.com/.
Authority
Merriam-Webster is America's preeminent publisher of language-related reference works. They publish America’s best selling desk dictionary as well as a wide variety of electronic and print reference material.
Format
A classic dictionary in an online version, includes a thesaurus, Spanish /English and medical dictionary. Searching is simple, with no advanced option and there are many browsing options in the left sidebar. You may also browse the dictionary and medical dictionary in an A-Z format from the right sidebar.
Scope
Not just a dictionary, this online version based on the print Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the site also included abbreviations, phrases, geographical and biographical names to name a few of the features.
Understandability
This resource has a clear and understandable interface. The entries list part of speech, definition, synonyms with links and etymology plus the pronunciation with an audio option. Links are included for related topics.
Currency
A number of the features are updated daily.
Value Added Features
There are many of these features listed on the left sidebar, including word of the day, word games, spelling bee hive, word for the wise and many more.
Cost
This online dictionary is free online, although a premium version is available for a subscription fee.
Oxford English Dictionary
Citation
Oxford English dictionary. (1989). (2nd ed.). (20 vols.) New York: Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press.
Purpose
The OED lists the purpose of this set is to organize the words that form the English language alphabetically, taking care to include information on etymology, pronunciation, and history.
Authority
The true authority on the evolution of the English language during the past 1000 years. of Published in cooperation with Oxford University, a well-established publisher with over 500 years of experience.
Format
Available as a 20-volume hardcover set, on CD-ROM, or online.
Scope
Over 300,000 entries, with over 150,000 bold-type combinations and derivatives. There are close to 170,000 italicized phrases and approximately 137,000 pronunciations.
Arrangement
The preliminary pages discuss the OED project, gives general information, keys for pronunciation, conventions, abbreviations and signs and a bibliography.
Entries
The word is in bold type, pronunciation is in parenthesis, followed by a definition, etymology, and a list of excerpts of usage with author and date.
Comprehensiveness
This is the definitive English language encyclopedia, exhaustively researched and compiled. Revised entries are published online every three months. One hundred new entries are written each year.
Cost
$995 for the 20-volume set
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary
Citation
The Random House Webster's unabridged dictionary. (2005). (2d rev. ed.). New York: Random House.
Purpose
This edition provides standard and specialized vocabulary in addition to a wide variety of up-to-date, authoritative information. It offers a traditional look at language as well as up-to-date developments in language.
Authority
Random House has over fifty years of experience in dictionary publishing.
Scope
This edition has over 315,000 entries, 1,500 updated definitions and entries, and 2,400 illustrations and spot maps, etymology, biographical entries, and popular given names among the features.
Format
This hardcover dictionary comes in a single-volume.
Arrangement
Entries are alphabetical and many additional sections are included. British, Canadian and Australian terms are covered, as wells as weights and measures, endangered species, regional dialects, a basic style manual, and commonly confused words.
Entries
Entries are listed alphabetically and include the part of speech and definition, synonyms and antonyms with examples of word use in phrases and sentences. Many entries also include usage problems, pronunciation, distinctions among synonyms, regional variations and dialects.
Special Features
This edition also comes with a CD-ROM.
Uses
An invaluable reference tool for students, writers, and professionals.
Overall Evaluation
A must-have resource tool for all academic and public libraries.
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language
Citation
Gove, P. B. (1986). Webster's third new international dictionary of the English
language unabridged. Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster.
Purpose
To provide definitions of words based on examples of popular usage.
Authority
Published by Webster, a reputable publisher with over a century of proven experience.
Scope
Advertised as the world’s most comprehensive dictionary, there are more that 450,000 definitions and an astounding 10 million usage examples.
Format
This hardcover dictionary is an impressive 12.5 pounds with 2,662 pages in a single-volume. This edition is also produced in a CD-ROM version.
Arrangement
The preliminary pages include a preface, then a list of staff, explanatory charts and notes, guides to format and pronunciation, style tips, forms of address, a key to abbreviations and symbols, and much more.
Entries
Word entries are divided into syllables and listed in bold typeface. This is followed by pronunciation, part of speech, etymology, and definition.
Special Features
This version includes over 14,000 new words that are listed in a special Addenda Section, 140,000 etymology entries and 3,000 illustrations.
Uses
An indispensible reference tool for students and writers alike.
Overall Evaluation
A valuable resource tool for both academic and public libraries.
YourDictionary
Citation
Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009. Your Dictionary. 11 April 2009
< www.yourdictionary.com/>
Purpose
This site provides a free online dictionary and thesaurus including definitions with audio pronunciation, a thesaurus and grammar tips.
Authority
Information listed on the website, states it is owned by LoveToKnow Corporation, an online media company that is privately held.
Scope
This site is a language portal with links to over 2,500 dictionaries in over 300 languages, in addition to glossary and reference articles, games, word of the day to name a few of the options.
Format
Online
Arrangement
The home page is well organized and provides links to all the features of the site.
Entries
On the word result page, the definition is listed with audio pronunciation, type of speech and definitions with links to explanations or additional definitions. There are also links to quoted, citation help, and other words this one is mentioned in.
Special Features
This dictionary includes links to many specialty dictionaries, a word of the day, member word lists, a language forum, links to twitter, full Roget’s Thesaurus and Webster’s New World Dictionary definitions.
Uses
A comprehensive resource for all online translator, abbreviations, language study, and specialty dictionary needs.
Overall Evaluation
This is a well-organized portal for numerous language sites on the Internet. Drawing from many reputable dictionary and language aids such as Webster’s and Roget’s, this site appears to be accurate even though it’s authority is mostly through self-report. This would be a good link for libraries looking for a free and accurate general dictionary.