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Networks and Knowledge in Roget's Thesaurus

Online ISBN:
9780191720352
Print ISBN:
9780199553235
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Networks and Knowledge in Roget's Thesaurus

Werner Hüllen
Werner Hüllen
University of Duisburg-Essen
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Published online:
1 January 2009
Published in print:
29 January 2009
Online ISBN:
9780191720352
Print ISBN:
9780199553235
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

This book epitomizes the history of Roget's Thesaurus as the merger of a dictionary of synonyms and a topical, i.e. non-alphabetical, dictionary. It has all the linguistic features of a text. Its many editions between 1852 and 2002 are marked by special lexicographical as well as socio-political elements. It has adopted a model function with respect to other languages as, for example, German, French, and Spanish. Its most outstanding feature, the semantic order of its words, is illustrated by a comparison with John Wilkins' ‘Tables’. It can be used as a starting point for an inquiry into the serial structure of the mental lexicon. It has special potential for cognitive investigation and didactic application. In a final analysis, the book argues that synonymy, as made practical in every thesaurus, is indispensable for human communication by language.

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