Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Types of Dictionaries
- Part II Dictionaries as Books
- Chapter 9 Dictionary Typography
- Chapter 10 Illustrations in Dictionaries
- Chapter 11 Page and Book Design in Dictionaries
- Chapter 12 Dictionaries in Book History
- Chapter 13 Dictionaries as Material Objects
- Part III Dictionaries and Ideology
- Part IV Dictionaries and Domains of Use
- Part V The Business of Dictionaries
- Part VI The Future of Dictionaries
- References: Dictionaries
- References: Secondary Works
- Index
Chapter 9 - Dictionary Typography
from Part II - Dictionaries as Books
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2024
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Types of Dictionaries
- Part II Dictionaries as Books
- Chapter 9 Dictionary Typography
- Chapter 10 Illustrations in Dictionaries
- Chapter 11 Page and Book Design in Dictionaries
- Chapter 12 Dictionaries in Book History
- Chapter 13 Dictionaries as Material Objects
- Part III Dictionaries and Ideology
- Part IV Dictionaries and Domains of Use
- Part V The Business of Dictionaries
- Part VI The Future of Dictionaries
- References: Dictionaries
- References: Secondary Works
- Index
Summary
Dictionaries, both print and digital, rely on type fonts, styles, and sizes to make hierarchies of information within entries clear to dictionary readers. This chapter introduces a doctrine of dictionary typology: The more information of different kinds that a dictionary entry attempts to convey or the more information that readers of a dictionary entry try to manage and absorb – including relations among types of information – the more typography assists in the organization and reception of that information. A corollary principle suggests that the relative value of information should be emphasized typographically, as well. Besides its role in conveying information structure, dictionary typography also contributes to the aesthetics of the dictionary page, along with space, lines, boxes, and pictures of various kinds. Finally, while sighted persons understand typography through the eyes, blind persons know it through their fingers and construe information hierarchies differently, as a result.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary , pp. 173 - 188Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024