A2Z - D is for Dictionary

Ordinary Lives. From a 2 z 4 u & me



I love words, and words live in dictionaries.

I haven't counted recently, but I must have at least 50 dictionaries in my house. Some get more use than others, of course, but I love them all.

When I taught school, I taught my students to explore the world of dictionaries. I required them to say the alphabet frontwards and backwards by the end of 3rd grade, enabling them to find their way around a dictionary better.


A good children's dictionary should have these features:

* easy to read pronunciations
* words divided by syllables
* simple definitions
* sample sentences
* informative illustrations
* synonymns
* homonyms


I have an old dictionary (at least 8" from cover to cover) that no one wanted to buy at a friend's moving sale. I couldn't see it being thrown away, so I took it home. It's HUGE! I'll have to admit, it is used more as a booster chair than a dictionary, but I love looking through its pages.



I have 3 or 4 French dictionaries that I used often when I taught French to the highschoolers. The more recent editions include more and more English words that the French have adopted, such as: "le t-shirt," "l'hotdog," "le weekend."



A Bible dictionary helps to understand the culture of ancient times, especially if I need to know the length a cubit or what hyssop looks like.



I'm a very visual person. I love maps and charts and diagrams. Someday, I want to get a big illustrated dictionary, so I can learn the names and parts of all kinds of things.



10 comments:

Joanne Sher said...

hehe - love the "booster chair" comment on the one.

I have several too - though not as many as you do. My favorite is my full Oxford English dictionary - one volume, with 2 point (or so type), complete with a magnifying glass. SO fun to look through!

Pencildancers said...

Dictionary! Very creative and I love them too. Great to learn scrabble words too.
Diana
www.pencildancer.com

Rita Garcia said...

Love Words and love my dictionary collection! Fabulous "D" post! Hugs!

Patty Wysong said...

Lol, I loooove dictionaries!! =] =] I feel a need for speed scrabble coming on! ;-)

Barbara Lynn Culler said...

I love the thesauras! Fun post.

Shelley Ledfors said...

What a great D post! I like dictionaries, too. I have several (although not as many as you!) I'll have to admit, though, to using the online versions more than the print ones any more.

Kristi Peifer said...

My son uses my Childcraft Dictionary from when I was a kid. I loved that thing!

I have multiple foreign language dictionaries these days. (Wishful thinking, perhaps?)

Great post! You must have been a great school teacher!

Sparrow said...

I love words, too! I'm so blessed to be able to work so immursed in words, as an interpreter and writer.

Laury said...

I'm lucky to know the alphabet forward, let alone backward! I never would have thought to use dictionary as a D word:) Great post, Vonnie! :)

Nancy K. Sullivan said...

I must confess that I can't even tell you where my dictionary is at the moment. Guess I've gotten a little lazy with the Thesaurus button so close by. Your post inspires me to keep a dictionary, or two, or three handy. Great post :)

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