
Contents
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2.1 Four assertions 2.1 Four assertions
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2.2 The first and third assertions: the history of cumulative dictionaries of synonyms 2.2 The first and third assertions: the history of cumulative dictionaries of synonyms
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2.3 The second and third assertions: the history of topical dictionaries 2.3 The second and third assertions: the history of topical dictionaries
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2.4 The fourth assertion: Roget's Thesaurus as the amalgamation of a dictionary of synonyms and a topical dictionary 2.4 The fourth assertion: Roget's Thesaurus as the amalgamation of a dictionary of synonyms and a topical dictionary
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2.5 The new text genre of synonym definition 2.5 The new text genre of synonym definition
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2 2 Roget's Thesaurus, Deconstructed
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Published:January 2009
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Abstract
Discussing synonyms started with Prodikos of Keos (c.470 bc), but modern research can be traced back to Abbé Gabriel Girard (1718). In the 18th century, there was a Europe-wide interest in the subject, leading in England to a number of word collections (Trusler, Piozzi) and dictionaries (Crabb, Perry). It amalgamated with the use of synonyms in explaining dictionaries (hard-word dictionaries, Dr Johnson). Topical glossaries and dictionaries had earlier become popular, above all for language teaching (dialogue books, Withals, Comenius). P. M. Roget fused the two, using contemporary conspectuses of human knowledge as given in the Encyclopaedia Britannica and in scientific publications. In fact, he made new use of two old lexicographical designs. The development of synonymy prepared the way for scholarly semantics with the emergence of a new text genre, the comparative definition of word meanings.
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