Pronunciation Table

Here's a pronunciation table for anyone to understand more about dictionary...I captured it from www.dictionary.com

Etymology (Historical Development)

All right guys now we'll have a histrical lesson....
Get ready to turn back time then we'll understand more about ENGLISH words.


languages change into different languages over time. In fact, the various dialects of a single language may change into different languages. Over the past 2,000 years, Latin has turned into French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. English has developed from the same original language as German, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish.


They all originated from a language for which no written record has survived, a language called "Proto-Indo-European" (PIE), spoken 5,000-6,000 yeas ago. We don't know exactly what kind of language it was, but we can reconstruct it with considerable accuracy from the various languages we know evolved from it.


For example, we know from English bear ("carry"), and Latin fero "carry", and Greek pherein "bear, carry", and Russian brat' "take", that PIE contained some word *bher- that meant "bear" or "carry". English brother derived from the same PIE stem and Latin frater. The change of "b" to "f" in Latin is a regular change that occurred in many PIE words as they developed from PIE to Latin, e.g.


Latin fornio "oven" (from which we get furnace) but not as PIE developed into Germanic languages. The same stem that turns up in Latin as forn-, appears in German as bren-nen English burn, both meaning the same thing.


This is the way historical linguists trace the history of language change, by plotting the rules of sound and meaning change from one era to the next.


Some dictionaries carry etymological information about words. This information is not necessary for using the word but many people find it interesting. For example, did you know that ink came from words that originally meant "to burn"? Click "ink" and see how. Where does the word dinosaur come from? Check the etymology in the dictionary.

Not too hard to get it huh? Right now we know that words are transfered anf transformed from other languages...so if we can recognize its root it helps a lot.

Spelling and Pronunciation

Hey guys we're back again~ This time just to tell you guys about spelling and pronunciation used in dictionaries...

READY!!??

HERE WE GO!!

First we would talking about spelling. If you can't spell the words or even spelt it worng you wouldn't find the words you were looking for right?

There are still problems facing dictionary compilers. For example, words are listed in a dictionary in alphabetical order. But if a person does not know how to spell a word, how can they look it up?


This is an intractable problem for traditional dictionaries but on-line dictionaries have a solution. Many on-line dictionaries allow you to write in just the letters you know and it will return all the words with those letters in the positions you specify.


You may then select the word you need. For example, let's suppose you don't know the order of the "i" and the "e" in the word receive. Go to the dictionary search box on the top right of this page, type in "rec??ve" and see what happens.

You can also use this technique for writing poetry. Let's say you want a word that rhymes with bottle. Type in ?ottle and see what you get. Of course, this method isn't perfect because sound and spelling do not perfectly correlate, but it may get you the word you want.

Then we would step into the pronunciation....

The problem facing traditional dictionaries in conveying the correct pronunciation of a word is that they lack the basic requisite: sound. To get around this shortcoming, dictionary compilers invent a standard alphabet that, unlike the real alphabet, is consistent.

That is, in the consistent alphabet, "i" is always pronounced like the "i" in bit, fit, quit but not in kite or vaccine. Try Newbury House's dictionary by typing in bicycle and see if you can read the pronunciation symbols between slashes (/ . . ./).

Linguists have created such an alphabet called the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). It is a consistent symbols system, where one sound is represented by one symbol and vice versa that applies to all the world's languages.

However, dictionary makers do not want to inconvenience dictionary users with learning a new alphabet, so most of them invent their own, trying to stick as close to the unworkable English pairing system as possible.

The result is as many different pronunciation systems as there are dictionaries. Compare WWWebster's rendition of the pronunciation of bicycle /'bI-si-k&l/ with that of Wordsmyth: /bai sih kEl/. Only the Newbury House and Cambridge dictionaries take advantage of the accuracy of the IPA.

Another problem with pronunciation is that there are often several different pronunciations of words. This is a particular problem in English, where great differences in pronunciation exist between US (with its Brooklyn, Southern, and other dialects), British, Australian, and other variants. How do you pronounce aunt or either.

Even in the US, educated people pronounce these words differently. Ask someone to pronounce interrupt for you (show it to them written). Do you hear the first "t". The word is pronounced correctly with and without the first "t" and the final one is often dropped before certain consonants (e.g. interrupt the teacher). Capturing all these variations in one book is difficult; deciding which ones to omit is even more difficult.

The solution to the problem is audio files reproducing the actual pronunciation, now available to electronic dictionaries. The first dictionary to produce an audio solution to the pronunciation problem is the Encarta Dictionary, the newest entry in the dictionary race.

The 4th edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, yourDictionary's choice for its Quick Lookup, now has this feature, available only on electronic dictionaries. All dictionaries still provide a symbol system for pronunciation: ours * Newbury House (IPA) * Cambridge

This time is a little bit too long for someone to read but please at least skip something that's not important then find some keywords from it you would get an idea about spelling and pronunciation and probably understand it better. >///<

Tips and Warning

...After posted 'How To' now we're about to tell you more about dictionary tips and what should be done if you're using one...

Remember these follwoing TIPS...

· Dictionaries vary in approach. The best way to learn how to use your particular dictionary effectively is to read the introductory section which explains how entries are arranged in your very own reference book.


· If you can't seem to locate your word, make sure you are spelling the word right. For example, you won't find ISOTOPE in the dictionary if you are looking in the A section, which you might be tempted to do if, for example, your chemistry teacher speaks with a bit of a southern accent.


· If you're having trouble spelling a word, try the spell-checker in a word processor and see what it suggests.


· Don't forget to check online dictionaries, too. Many now include additional content, such as an audio pronunciation.


· In Google, typing define: futile will search only for definitions.


· It's okay just to browse in a dictionary, too. Open to any page and skim headwords until you see one that is interesting or unfamiliar.

And don't EVER forget these WARNINGS...

· Printed dictionaries may go out of date as the language changes, so check the copyright date on yours. Another way to gauge the currency of a dictionary is to look for relatively new words, such as chick flick or metrosexual.

· Dictionaries vary in content, and some are very specific. Look at the title to find out what you have. If you have a dictionary of rhymes, slang, idioms, synonyms, a foreign language, or a specific interest, such as woodworking terms, seek a more general dictionary.

Hope yoou guys get good tricks from this article...

See ya~

How to Use Dictionary...

Dictionary...might freak someone out

Guess why?...Because they don't excatly know how to use it.

So we decided to collect and analyse the 'How To' to you guys. So dictionary won't freak you out anymore....enjoy!~

Here's HOW TO USE DICTIONARY...Step by step

1. Decide what word you wish to look up. Did you find it in something that you read or hear it in conversation?

2. Figure out what letter your target word starts with (i.e. PSYCHOTIC would start with a P; and GNOME would start with a G; and words like KNOCK, KNICKERS and KNOB would naturally begin with a K). For the purposes of this article, we will look up the word FUTILE.

3. Open the dictionary so that it lies flat on the table before you. In the upper corners of the pages, notice the GUIDE WORDS. Find the section dealing with words beginning with the letter of your target word. If you see guide words beginning with the letter E, then move a few pages forward to the F section.

4. Consider the second letter of your target word, in this case, U. You must move along until you find guide words beginning with FU. Perhaps you will see "furrow/futtock" in the upper left corner of the left page and "futtock plate/gaberlunzie" in the upper right corner of the right page. Now you know that FUTILE is going to be located on one of these two pages.

5. Scan down the list of entry words moving past FURRY and FUSE and FUSS. Since your word begins with FUT, you must go past all the FUR and all the FUS words alphabetically until you reach the FUT area of the page. In our example, you will need to move right down through FUT and FUTHARK and this is at last, where you will find FUTILE.

6. Read the entry word and notice any near neighbors that might be related, such as FUTILITY.

7. Read the information given about this word. Depending on your dictionary, you might find many things.

o A definition of the word.

o One or more pronunciations. Look for a pronunciation key near the beginning of the dictionary to help you interpret the written pronunciation.

o Synonyms and antonyms. You can use these in your writing, or as further clues towards the word's meaning.

o An etymology, derivation, or history of the word. Even if you don't know Latin or Greek, you may find that this information helps you to remember or understand the word.

o Examples or citations of how the word is used. Use these to add context to the meaning of the word.

o Derived terms and inflections (I am, you are).

o Phrases or idioms associated with the word.

8. Think about how this information relates to the word as you encountered it. If there are multiple definitions, decide which one matches your source or context for the word and notice how the different definitions are related to one another.

9. Try using your new word in a sentence. If it's difficult to spell, write it a few times to help yourself remember it.