Noah Webster’s Contributions

1. Promoting American English as SEPARATE from British English

2. Spelling reform

3. 160 years of tradition in dictionaries

4. Name "Webster"

Jackson, Howard. 2002. Lexicography: An Introduction. London: Routledge.

Idiosyncratic Definitions

Chambers' definition of éclair:

a cake, long in shape but short in duration,…

Jackson, Howard. 2002. Lexicography: An Introduction. London: Routledge, p. 68.

Opinionated, Biased Definitions in Dictionaries

New Age “Bookshops today are obliged to devote a depressingly large amount of shelf-space to books churned out by crackpots and charlatans on everything from dubious self-important practices and dream interpretation to astrology, witchcraft, fork-bending and alien abductions. This sad waste of trees is commonly labeled ‘mind, body and spirit’, but the label New Age is also widely used. This coy label is overly respectful, in that it suggests that the books have some detectable content. You may use it, if you prefer to refrain from blunter descriptions, but it is a prime candidate for scare quotes.” Trask, R. L. (2001). Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English. London: Penguin Books, p. 196.

Opinionated, Biased Definitions in Dictionaries

New Age “Bookshops today are obliged to devote a depressingly large amount of shelf-space to books churned out by crackpots and charlatans on everything from dubious self-important practices and dream interpretation to astrology, witchcraft, fork-bending and alien abductions. This sad waste of trees is commonly labeled ‘mind, body and spirit’, but the label New Age is also widely used. This coy label is overly respectful, in that it suggests that the books have some detectable content. You may use it, if you prefer to refrain from blunter descriptions, but it is a prime candidate for scare quotes.” Trask, R. L. (2001). Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English. London: Penguin Books, p. 196.

“Sidewalk”

Separate, usually raised pathway along the side of a road that in Taiwan is intended for:(1) parking motor scooters; (2) putting out merchandise displays in front of a store or setting up an independent vending stall (food or other); (3) for pedestrian use (though this is more common in the large cities; in smaller towns, if they have sidewalks they are mostly for (1) and (2)).