Inspired by Phil Benson＇s study on the relations between ethnocentrism and the China-related entries in the OED2, this paper attempts to further examine how the image of China, a so--called ＂peripheral object of Wes...Inspired by Phil Benson＇s study on the relations between ethnocentrism and the China-related entries in the OED2, this paper attempts to further examine how the image of China, a so--called ＂peripheral object of Western knowledge,＂ has been （ntis-） constructed in the dictionary, particularly its latest 2009 CD-ROM version, into which many laudable updates, including corrections and supplements, have been meticulously incorporated. It argues that （ 1 ） although British imperialism was a closed chapter, its vestiges can still be spotted in the dictionary text, not only in the quotations, which preserve historical information rather than reflect the editors＇ opinions, but also in the definitions and notes, which betray primarily the thoughts of these editors, （ 2 ） to an average user, the OED, with its legendary philological authority, is very likely to project ＂ historical objectivity＂ into some problematic contents and thus misleads an innocent and uninformed mind, and （3） if ethnocentrism is an unavoidable component in the OED1 and OED2, then the editorial team of the OED3 in the making would do well to introduce into their work an element of＂ ＂ entholocalism,＂ by which is meant the ideological neutrality as well as the technical accuracy of encyclopedic information about such important peripheral objects as China, the most populous country and a fast growing economy, in the world in which the English language against the backdrop of globalization has firmly established itself as the international lingua fianca without rival. So long as it is intended to remain a historical dictionary true to its name, the OED ought to push forward, in the form of new editions, with the times.展开更多
文摘Inspired by Phil Benson＇s study on the relations between ethnocentrism and the China-related entries in the OED2, this paper attempts to further examine how the image of China, a so--called ＂peripheral object of Western knowledge,＂ has been （ntis-） constructed in the dictionary, particularly its latest 2009 CD-ROM version, into which many laudable updates, including corrections and supplements, have been meticulously incorporated. It argues that （ 1 ） although British imperialism was a closed chapter, its vestiges can still be spotted in the dictionary text, not only in the quotations, which preserve historical information rather than reflect the editors＇ opinions, but also in the definitions and notes, which betray primarily the thoughts of these editors, （ 2 ） to an average user, the OED, with its legendary philological authority, is very likely to project ＂ historical objectivity＂ into some problematic contents and thus misleads an innocent and uninformed mind, and （3） if ethnocentrism is an unavoidable component in the OED1 and OED2, then the editorial team of the OED3 in the making would do well to introduce into their work an element of＂ ＂ entholocalism,＂ by which is meant the ideological neutrality as well as the technical accuracy of encyclopedic information about such important peripheral objects as China, the most populous country and a fast growing economy, in the world in which the English language against the backdrop of globalization has firmly established itself as the international lingua fianca without rival. So long as it is intended to remain a historical dictionary true to its name, the OED ought to push forward, in the form of new editions, with the times.
