Table Alphabeticall

A Table Alphabeticall was the first monolingual dictionary of the English language. It was in 1604 by the school teacher Robert Cawdrey, assisted by his son Thomas, published in London.

Dictionary

Intention

The title page indicates what Cawdrey intention:

" A Table Alphabeticall, Conteyning and teaching the true writing, and vnderstanding of hard vsuall English wordes, borrowed from the Hebrew, Greeke, Latine, or French. & c. "

" An alphabetical list containing the true sensitivity and understanding difficult ordinary words of English derived from Hebrew, Greek, Latin or French, etc., and teaches. "

" With the interpretation thereof by plaine English words, Gathered for the benefit & helpe of Ladies, Gentlewomen, or any other vnskilfull persons. "

"With an explanation by simple English words, gathered for the benefit and help of Ladies, Gentlewomen, or any other untrained person. "

" Whereby They june the more easilie and better vnderstand many hard English wordes, Which They Shall heare or read in Scriptures, Sermons, or elswhere, and thus be made ​​able to vse the same aptly themselues. "

" What makes it easier for them and better understand many difficult English words that they are in writings, sermons or hear or read elsewhere, and which they then also can use themselves aptly "

In the dedication he calls additionally foreigners as potential users, as well as school children, who might better be understood as Latin words. Cawdrey also had the right to determine the spelling of foreign words.

An innovation: the alphabetical arrangement

In the English -speaking world had been placed in the concordance to Wycliffe's translation of the Bible completely in alphabetical order for the first time the words. However, the process was still unusual for the users; even Cawdrey still ran this error. He advised his readers in the preface to first learn the alphabet in order to benefit from its dictionary. So should you about the letter b from the beginning, in the middle of n and t are looking towards the end. In the second letter of a word, you must then follow the same process. So of course this sounds today, Cawdrey departed from this innovation from its predecessors. In earlier glossaries, while about all the words these words were gathered at a, but had been printed disordered. In Cawdreys version of the alphabet has 20 letters. There is a lack J, which is written I, and U, is written V. No word starts with K, W, X or Y.

Scope

In the previous half century, many foreign words had come into the English language. A Table Alphabeticall was with 2521 entries ( other sources say 2543 ) rather short. Combining two or more entries with a definition (eg abbreviat / abbridge; " abbreviate " ) or cross references ( heathen, see Gentile, " Heide" ) reduces the total number of defined words on 2449 Whether all words actually at that time " difficult. " were, is controversial among linguists. Cawdrey not always be held by principle, to explain difficult words with simpler ( for example, he explained affirme, " affirm ", by auouch, acertaine ). The dictionary also contained abbreviations. With ( g) marked Cawdrey words of Greek origin, with § words of French origin. The remainder came mostly from Latin. (k ) stands for kind of ( "a kind of" ), such as barbell, (k ) fish. The definitions, however, are usually worked more carefully than in the hitherto usual Latin- English dictionaries.

A Table Alphabeticall quickly became popular and experienced four editions, in the last issue of 1617 extended to 3264 entries. As a result, soon appeared numerous other dictionaries for difficult words ( dictionaries of hard words).