After 150 years: the topicality of Roget’s Thesaurus
Speaker(s):
Dr L John Old
Date/Time: 16/03/2009
The first thesaurus was created by Dr Peter Mark Roget in 1805.
What was his story? What inspired him to create this monumental work? How did he go about
classifying and assorting the synonyms and antonyms?
Roget's interesting life and legacy, the theoretical links to Leibniz and Aristotle, and even
the trademarking of the name 'Roget' will be addressed by Dr John Old.
This lecture is a part of the Look it up yourself! A History of the
Dictionary series, which celebrates the tercentenary of the birth of Samuel
Johnson.
Johnson's early life was beset by ill health; his eyesight and hearing were poor throughout
his life. Poverty obliged him to leave Oxford without a degree. Johnson travelled to London
with his friend, the actor David Garrick, and supported himself through journalism. He was
commissioned to write his renowned Dictionary of the English Language and rented 17 Gough
Square (now Dr Johnson's House, off Fleet Street, a museum dedicated to the life and work of
Samuel Johnson).
Other lectures in this 'Monday's at One' series include:
Dr
Johnson, I presume?
The Meaning of Everything:
The history of the Oxford English Dictionary
From Dictionary User to
Amateur Lexicographer: Possibilities of on-line searches
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