TYPES OF DICTIONARIES*

The word dictionary means a book of words listed in alphabetical order in current use in any language. There are dictionaries for every language on earth, and there are dictionaries which provide translations from one language to another. Most people know about French/English dictionaries, but there are also Spanish/Italian dictionaries, and German/Swahili(7) for example. There are even dictionaries for languages that haven’t been spoken in thousands of years, like Latin, classical Greek, or Sanskrit.

Specialized dictionaries are also available. The reference section of a library or bookstore may contain a dictionary of sailing terms, a dictionary of medical terms, or a dictionary of legal terms, to name just a few. When you are studying literature, you might use a Dictionary of Literary Terms. You can even buy a visual dictionary that includes, for example, a very precise detailed diagram of a ship to which the correct names of the smaller parts, like forecastle, steerage, spar, are attached.

One very useful form of dictionary is the THESAURUS, (pronounced thi- soar?-us). A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms, or words with similar meanings. For instance, when you are working on a piece of writing, you may find that you have used the word “nice” over and over. This is boring for your reader and does not allow you to say what you mean clearly. If you use a thesaurus to look up the word “nice”, you will find many alternatives listed like “pretty”, “flavourful”, “pleasant”, “polite” and many more. You simply read the list and pick the word that best carries the meaning you want.

e.g. The nice clerk helped me choose some nice flowers for my nice vase.

The pleasant clerk helped me choose some beautiful flowers for my pretty vase.

7.a language spoken by many people in Africa