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John Considine (ed.). 2019. The Cambridge World History of Lexicography .
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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International Journal of Lexicography · March 2021
DOI: 10.1093/ijl/ecab005
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Published:
International Journal of Lexicography, 34
(2): 265-276
Online version:
https://academic.oup.com/ijl/article-
abstract/34/2/265/6154686?redirectedFrom=fulltext
John Considine (ed), 2019. The Cambridge World History of Lexicography.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. xii + 961 pages. ISBN 978-1-107-17886-1
hardback. 155 USD.
1. Introduction
The Cambridge World History of Lexicography
(henceforth referred to as
The Cambridge
WHL
), edited by renowned lexicographer John Considine, seeks to provide a comprehensive
approach to world lexicography from a historical perspective. The volume is divided into four
parts or overarching themes, each of which covers a particular relevant period or tradition
within the history of world lexicography: (1) The Ancient World, (2) The Pre-Modern World,
(3) The Modern World Continuing Traditions, and (4) The Modern World: Missionary and
Subsequent Traditions.
The Cambridge WHL
may likely not have been an easy task to embark on. There is a
myriad of factors that need to be jointly considered, on both the geographical and historical
axes. More specifically, it is essential for a work of this scope and ambition to tend towards that
opaque, sometimes utopian feature that as linguists we have all come to fear—
‘representativeness,’ as the inclusion of equitable, proportionate information across domains
considering the actual resources at hand (e.g. materials, methods). Acknowledging that such an
ambitious project may be tackled from virtually endless perspectives, the path followed by
The
Cambridge WHL
exudes dedication, hard work, and carefully made decisions which
simultaneously concern the overall approach and the choice of spatiotemporally well-framed
topics—needless to mention the applicability and accessibility of the book itself. Even though
The Cambridge WHL
can most definitely be used as a handbook (e.g. for consultation of
specific chapters), some readers may also enjoy perusing it from start to finish.
Unlike the prototypical compilation-like handbook,
The Cambridge WHL
tends to flow
organically from one section to the subsequent, which potentially allows the reader to build on
their prior knowledge of the history of lexicography. In the Introduction section, it is claimed
that ‘the present volume, by contrast [with previous approaches], seeks to tell a story’ and, thus,
‘a good way to read it would be as a story, starting at the beginning and going on to the end’ (p.
2). This holds especially true for Part I, dedicated to the most relevant ancient world’s
civilisations—Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient and Coptic Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient India,
and the Greco-Roman World. All said chapters introduce underlying concepts on the role of
lexicography in ancient societies, as well as its relationship with language and the formal study
thereof. In this respect, reflexions arise on the anthropological foundations of lexicography,
considering that its emergence in bears striking commonalities across (non-globally
interconnected) ancient civilisations.
Prior to proceeding with the summary of contents, it may be relevant to pinpoint that
The
Cambridge WHL
demonstrates genuine willingness to be inclusive of virtually every
civilisation in the world (documentation permitting). The specific fit of lexicography into the
wider field of linguistics has oftentimes remained vague. In this respect, the Introduction section
states that ‘the relationship of lexicography and other kinds of language study has […] been
touched on very lightly’ (p. 6). Likewise, the scope of the term
lexicography
itself is also
embraced in its entirety, as the ‘making [of] lists of words and their equivalents or
2
interpretations’ (also on p. 6). While it might well be that some specialised scholars could
perceive instances or either under- or overrepresentation for particular civilisations included in
The Cambridge WHL
, the intended inclusiveness of this volume appears to be beyond all
reasonable doubt.
2. Summary of contents
As mentioned earlier, the volume under review is comprised of four distinct parts, in which
smooth transitions between chapters tend to be the norm. Specifically, Part I covers the
emergence of lexicography in the ancient world. This ranges from the ancient civilisations of
Mesopotamia to the Greco-Roman world, with Ancient and Coptic Egypt, Ancient China, and
Ancient India being tackled in between. Part II focuses on what the volume refers to as ‘the pre-
modern world,’ as it serves the purpose of covering a broad, long-lived gap essential to
understanding the gradual transition from the ancient spheres to modernness. This includes
China (c. 600-1700), India and Tibet (c. 500-1750), the Arabic-speaking world (until the early
1800s), Hebrew (c. 1650), so-called ‘Chinese periphery’ (until the early 1800s), Turkic
languages and Persian (until the early 1700s), Byzantine Greek, Medieval Latin Christendom,
and early modern Western and Central Europe. The aforementioned sections constitute the core
of the volume under review, and they are preceded by a Table of Contents, a List of
Contributors, the Editor’s Acknowledgements, and the Introduction (which shapes a powerful
statement of intent in and of itself). The core sections are immediately followed by two
Appendices (containing, respectively, a glossary of language varieties and an essential
biography of the lexicographers cited), an extensive list of sources (sorted into two groups,
either primary or secondary), and an index of terms. In the following subsections, I will review
each of the core parts as well as the articles included therein. It must be noted that, while I have
adhered to the order of the major sections in the volume, the order in which some of the articles
appear within each section has in some cases been modified for consistency and clarity.
2.1.
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