Dictionaries in Spanish and English from 1554 to 1740: Their Structure and Development

Abstract

Modern lexicography originated during the Renaissance, with the revival of learning that spread throughout Europe. The revival of learning stimulated the compilation of grammars and dictionaries which, thanks to printing, were more easily available and circulated among travelers and merchants, reaching larger audiences. Interest in the study of vernacular languages also increased and promoted the compilation of word lists in modern languages. Spanish and English bilingual lexicography, in particular, is an important chapter in the history of the teaching of Spanish in Tudor England. This historical and comparative study is based on twelve dictionaries and twenty-two editions published in London between 1554 and 1740. The general question that this study tries to answer is this: what can the structure of the early alphabetical and topical Spanish and English dictionaries and their outside matter texts tell us about the principles of compilation lexicographers followed and about the purpose of their works? The investigation led, first, to a structural typology of books showing how the overall organization of topical dictionaries changed only slightly, while the relative position of grammars and alphabetical dictionaries was reversed. Together with grammars, lexicographical products serve a pedagogical function, but not every author follows the same pedagogical approach. These approaches find expression in the way a particular author organizes the component parts of his work. Second, subjects discussed are metalexicographical, metalinguistic or extralinguistic. Of these three types, the first one is the most common in both alphabetical and topical lexicographical products. Finally, an updated panorama of early Spanish and English bilingual lexicography is presented, one that, for the first time, includes both alphabetical and topical compilations and their interrelationships.