Adapting and Rewriting in Eighteenth-Century British Lexicography
Abstract
This paper proposes to include lexicography among the genres that develop and renew themselves most systematically over time by resorting to textual adaptation strategies. This is particularly evident in the history of English dictionary-making, with the most significant and striking example being Samuel Johnson’s lexicographical masterpiece. The paper traces and comments on all the different ways in which the 1755 first edition of his Dictionary was adapted throughout the eighteenth century to meet the needs of different categories of dictionary users.
Submitted: Jan. 23, 2026 | Accepted: Feb. 10, 2026 | Published May 11, 2026 | Language: en
Keywords Samuel Dyer • Eighteenth-century Lexicography • Oxford English Dictionary • William Perry • Adaptation in Dictionary-making • Edmund Burke • Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary
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