English Lexicography

This paper offers an overview of the discipline of English lexicography with special consideration of interdisciplinary connections with English linguistics. Emphasis is placed on dictionaries of varieties of English, period dictionaries, and learner dictionaries, the latter of which being currently most firmly tied to wider linguistic research agendas. Overall, the relationship is described as a difficult one, characterized by differences in emphasis that are reflected in competing philological, historical, and linguistic foci. The account seeks to identify gaps in the lexicographical documentation of varieties of English (e.g., Irish English, Ulster Scots, Indian English) and period coverage (e.g., in Early Modern English), and aims to identify strong suits and best practice examples (e.g., Dictionary of American Regional English). It is argued that English linguistics as a whole, especially the sociolinguistic discipline, would benefit from renewed interest in the lexicography of English.