Like human beings who write them (lexicographers), dictionaries could have errors, although on extremely rare occasions. Before discussing these uses, it is essential to address some of the misconceptions about dictionaries.įirst, it should be noted that no dictionary is infallible. Although a dictionary is a reference book, its uses require some guides and explanations. Everyone who desires to use any language proficiently must make the dictionary his/her companion. It is a reference book that gives information about words. Its main qualities can be summed up as follows : it covers a vast range of words (there are approximatively 15,000 more entries than in EPD-14, the fourteenth edition of EPD), it is quite user- friendly - although some readers have reportedly experienced difficulties with the blue ink used for the main pronunciation of each entry -, it offers the reader clear explanations of the main pronunciation phenomena or concepts in boxes distributed throughout the book and arranged alphabetically, and, last but not least, editor John Wells has decided to include both British and American standard pronunciations - to many a user's satisfaction and, we should say, relief.A dictionary is a compilation of words in alphabetical order. It may be said from the outset that LPD lives up to most expectations. These are two examples, among a few others, where recourse to the specialist dictionary proves indispensable. This then suggests the extent to which the pronunciation dictionary can also be of use to the native speaker : for instance, the pronunciation of a large proportion of proper names is not self-evident and numerous more common words are controversial because several pronunciations coexist. Moreover, it offers the user a description of the main phonological processes encountered in actual speech, thereby fulfilling an additional pedagogical purpose. It seems to provide them with various types of information that are not, as a rule, found in a general dictionary : it lists possible variants of the main pronunciation, deals comprehensively with all inflected and derived forms and comprises an extended selection of proper names.

It is a specialist dictionary and is accordingly aimed in particular at teachers and students of English. Wells and first published in 1990 continues a tradition initiated in 1917 by the first edition of Daniel Jones's English Pronunciation Dictionary (EPD). The new Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (LPD) compiled by J.

Longman transcription dictionary