Thesaurus
Term: Thesaurus
Method: Phonetic
What do I mean Thesaurus? Thesaurus is a neologism (you will not find the term in Johnson's or Webster's original dictionaries) and this may explain why it has been pronounced incorrectly from the start. Dictionaries (those terribly biased sources) inform us that the term should be pronounced "Thi-saw-r-es," when in fact it should be pronounced "the saur us." In other words the word should be pronounced as if you are refering to the (dino)saurus, a character right out of The Flintstones. Thus I ask, am I in dialogue with a neologist or a dinosaur?
P.S. Definer is happy to report to idefine the publication of the following:
Henry Hitchens, Defining the World: The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Johnson's Dictionary (New York: Ferrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2005)
Fans of definition may also wish to check out:
David Mickelthwait, Noah Webster and the American Dictionary (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1999)
Method: Phonetic
What do I mean Thesaurus? Thesaurus is a neologism (you will not find the term in Johnson's or Webster's original dictionaries) and this may explain why it has been pronounced incorrectly from the start. Dictionaries (those terribly biased sources) inform us that the term should be pronounced "Thi-saw-r-es," when in fact it should be pronounced "the saur us." In other words the word should be pronounced as if you are refering to the (dino)saurus, a character right out of The Flintstones. Thus I ask, am I in dialogue with a neologist or a dinosaur?
P.S. Definer is happy to report to idefine the publication of the following:
Henry Hitchens, Defining the World: The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Johnson's Dictionary (New York: Ferrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2005)
Fans of definition may also wish to check out:
David Mickelthwait, Noah Webster and the American Dictionary (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1999)
posted by Definer at 5:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home