Bücher der Reihe Oxford Studies in Lexicography and Lexicology

This is a history of dictionaries, from their origins to the computerized compilations of the present. Chapters describe the historical sequence over some 60 years, these alternate with chapters dealing with phraseology, computers and corpus linguistics, and research into dictionary users and uses.

Since the 1980s, phraseology has become a major field of pure and applied research in Western European and North American linguistics. This book is made up of contributions from leading specialists who examine the increasingly crucial role played by ready-made word combinations.

The "Oxford English Dictionary" occupies a special place in the history of English, cultural as well as linguistic. This collection of twelve essays sets out to explore the pioneering endeavours in both lexicography and lexicology which led to the making of its first edition.