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Subject:Re: American Heritage Dictionary From:Stephen Bernhardt <sbernhar -at- NMSU -dot- EDU> Date:Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:57:42 -0700
On Mon, 31 Jan 1994, Karen Kay wrote:
> Stephen Bernhardt said:
> > Craig's right--it's an old argument about what a dictionary should be. If
> > we want a purely descriptive work, we wouldn't have usage panels. I would
> But that's exactly the purpose of the usage panels--to give you a
> feeling for how language is used.
But then the question is where do we want usage information, in a work of
descriptive lexicographic scholarship (a dictionary) or in a book on usage
(a different sort of reference). Markety forces dictate that dictionaries
try to be everything at once, descriptive of the language buyt also a
guide to polite usage. The purposes are not the same.
steve
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> Stephen A. Bernhardt >
> Department of English, Box 3E >
> New Mexico State University >
> Las Cruces, NM 88003 >
> 505-646-2027 FAX 505-646-7725 >
> e-mail sbernhar -at- nmsu -dot- edu >
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