Moth’s Danish Dictionary Publishing a Dictionary with a 300-year Delay

By November 23, 2016,
Page 622-634
Author Thomas Troelsgård, Marita Akhøj Nielsen
Title Moth’s Danish Dictionary Publishing a Dictionary with a 300-year Delay
Abstract The first comprehensive Danish dictionary was compiled by the high official Matthias Moth (1649-1719). To get material for the dictionary he organized a collection of words from all over the Danish king’s realm, asking especially for the daily language of ordinary people, including dialect material. This was quite unusual for his time – and for a long period after. The collection was finished shortly after 1700, and Moth immediately started editing the dictionary. He compiled several editions and changed the overall layout before starting the final edition that comprises more than 20 volumes in folio, all written by himself. This huge work was never printed, but for 200 years the manuscripts were utilized as an important source for comprehensive Danish dictionaries because of the valuable collection of words and sayings. In 2013-2015 an online edition was published, and to demonstrate the development of this edition an account is given of Moth’s dictionary through three centuries focusing on the digitization of the handwritten material. Finally, the online edition is presented.
Session Historical and Scholarly Lexicography and Etymology
Keywords historical dictionary; daily language; Elder Danish; digitization; mark-up; online edition
BibTex
@InProceedings{ELX2016-069,
author={Thomas Troelsgård, Marita Akhøj Nielsen},
title={Moth’s Danish Dictionary Publishing a Dictionary with a 300-year Delay},
pages={622-634},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th EURALEX International Congress},
year={2016},
month={sep},
date={6-10},
address={Tbilisi, Georgia},
editor={Tinatin Margalitadze, George Meladze},
publisher={Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi University Press},
isbn={978-9941-13-542-2},
}
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