《新英汉词典》的三次飞跃与转向

Three Leaps and the Direction of Change of "New English-Chinese Dictionary"

《新英汉词典》历经40个春秋,迄今已有四个版本,每次修订都是一次飞跃。通过对《新英汉词典》进行纵向研究,发现在宏观层面各版收词不断增加,词条排列便于检索,插图日益丰富,附录更加实用;在微观层面:释义更贴切、准确全面,及时补充新义,与时俱进,更具有系统特征,突出了词典的语篇性,释义手段多样化;例证更典型、更具有解释力,与释义的关系更紧密,政治色彩不断淡化,体现了时代性和现实性。《新英汉词典》越来越关注自身特色的展示,在求新、求精、求全的基础上,更加强调实用性,并努力向学习型词典靠拢。

＂New English-Chinese Dictionary＂ has gone through 40 years and presented itself in four editions.Each change is a leap forward.Through the examination of the four editions,we find that at a macro level the number of words collected is increasing with more convenience in word-searching,illustrative pictures come to play a part and the appendix is more practical;meanwhile at the micro level the definition is becoming more accurate with new meanings coming along,more systemic with emphasis on the textuality of the dictionary and more varied in devices of defining words;the examples are more typical with more explanatory power and their relation with definition is closer,the political flavor fades with more focus on modernity and reality.On the whole,the dictionary is seeking to exhibit its characteristics of being newer in collection of words,more concise in definition and wider in coverage,it also emphasizes its practicality and attempts to present itself in the form of a learner＇s dictionary.