A Diachronic Study Of The Pronunciation Information In The OALDs

This thesis focuses on the pronunciation information (PI) provided by the Oxford Advanced Learners’Dictionary.(OALD) Since the pronunciation information in the dictionaries is usually provided on the basis of a relatively stable while frequently modified model, we construct a pronunciation information model of the OALDs,(abbreviated as PIMO) and set the treatment of its components (including segemental and suprasegmental features) as variables in the present research, in order to study the model systematically, and the fundamental question for this research lies in how this model has evolved in the past60years.In the second chapter of the thesis, we will study thoroughly Received Pronunciation from the perspectives of phonology and phonetics; while in the third chapter, we turn our eyes to the transcription system of English pronunciation in order to hackle its definition, approaches and methods.Based on the previous researches, with the adoption of systematic methodology, and the procedure of describing, comparing, explaining evaluating, we do researches on the appearance of the PIMO in different editions of the OALD, which will serve as a medium for the investigation of the pronunciation information in the OALDs. We attempt to figure out the characteristics and trends of pronunciation information in the OALDs in the fourth chapter, and the conclusions are drawn as followsFirstly, the model has been relatively stable after the5th edition with some minor modifications but the quantity of pronunciation information has always been increasing especially the pronunciation information of compounds, idioms, phrases, and GA pronunciations.Secondly, although the model in the OALD has been greatly influenced by the internationally authoritative systems such as the EPD and the IPA, the editors of the OALDs have never stopped innovating. On one hand, they turn to the model of other dictionaries for reference; on the other hand, they refresh the existing model frequently, adapting the pronunciation information to the expectations of their target users.Thirdly, the pronunciation information in the OALDs attempted to depict the pronunciation of modern English objectively and accurately, but the compilers have modified the model with a certain degree of subjectivity. For example, the stress information of some headwords is provided on the basis of editors’ subjective predication of users’ requirements. Besides, there hasn’t been an agreement on whether a particular type of word should be transcribed or not. Therefore, the systematicness of information still needs improvement.Fourthly, with the incorporation of latest achievements in phonetics and phonology and the prevalent pronouncing style, the pronunciation information in the OALDs has been frequently renewed so that it reflects the present situation of English usage scientifically.Fifthly, the OALDs have hired the most prominent specialists in phonetics and phonology as their phonetic editors. Those phoneticians, together with the authoritative IPA and EPD as references, have contributed to making the OALD a most practical and authoritative solution to pronunciation problems for foreign language users.Since the study of pronunciation information of dictionaries has been marginalized for a long time in lexicographical studies, the achievement in this topic is far from adequate. This thesis will, on one hand, figure out the characteristics and trends of pronunciation information in the OALDs, while on the other hand, attract people’s attention to this issue and serve as a reference for further researches.