Book: A Dictionary of the English Language

Overview
Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language (1755) is both a monumental reference work and a landmark in English prose. Issued in two large folio volumes, it set a new standard for lexicography by combining clear definitions, systematic arrangement, and copious literary citations. Johnson aimed to survey the language as it was used by the most reputable writers, creating a record that would guide readers and writers toward clarity and elegance while acknowledging the living, changeable nature of English.

Scope and Sources
The dictionary contains roughly 43,000 headwords supported by over 100,000 illustrative quotations drawn from a wide range of “authorities,” especially from the 16th and 17th centuries: Shakespeare, Milton, Dryden, Pope, Addison, Bacon, Hooker, and many others. Johnson favored writers he saw as exemplars of taste and judgment, thereby elevating a canon of prose and poetry that would shape literary education for generations. The quotations do more than adorn definitions; they anchor meanings in authentic contexts, distinguish senses, and help trace semantic drift.

Structure and Method
Entries are organized by headword, part of speech, and numbered senses, with etymologies and usage notes where available. Johnson offers a modest guide to pronunciation (largely by marking stress) and standardizes orthography by preference and analogy, an important step toward consistent spelling. His etymologies, indebted to Latin, Greek, and French, are learned but sometimes speculative, reflecting the limits of historical linguistics in his day. In front matter he supplies a “History of the English Language” and a concise “Grammar of the English Tongue,” framing the dictionary within a broader account of English’s development and structure.

Voice and Notable Entries
Johnson’s definitions are renowned for their clarity and, at times, their personality. The lexical voice is often sober and precise, yet a streak of irony appears in a handful of entries that have become famous. “Lexicographer: a harmless drudge” condenses withering self-awareness into a clipped phrase. “Oats: a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people” blends ethnographic jab with wit. “Excise: a hateful tax” shows his willingness to color definition with judgment. These flashes of style do not detract from the scholarly fabric; they underscore that the interpreter of language is also a moral and social observer.

Prescriptivism and Change
Johnson hoped to “fix” the language by recording best usage, but his celebrated Preface concedes that living tongues resist permanence. He cautions against chasing novelty and labels forms he deems “low,” “barbarous,” or “cant,” yet he repeatedly lets evidence from reputable authors decide. The result balances prescription and description: recommended standards coexist with documentary honesty about how words are actually used. He is wary of needless Gallicisms and technical jargon, and he admits gaps in scientific nomenclature, a candid limitation of the work.

Impact and Legacy
The dictionary instantly became the authoritative English lexicon, shaping spelling, sense distinctions, and literary norms for more than a century, until the Oxford English Dictionary gradually superseded it. Its method of marshaling literary citations became a model, and its headword structure, parts of speech, numbered senses, etymology, illustrative examples, set expectations for modern dictionaries. Abridgments and revised editions proliferated, cementing “Johnson’s Dictionary” as a cultural touchstone. Beyond its practical utility, the work stands as a monument of 18th‑century scholarship and style, a grand attempt to capture a language in motion while teaching readers how to use it with propriety and grace.