Few takers for online dictionary

By Bindu Jacob

NEW DELHI. JAN. 10.

Finding practically no takers in the Indian market for the online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), its Chief Editor, Mr. John Simpson, has been in India for the past couple of days to market the Web version of what is regarded as the world's most authoritative lexicon.

Launched last March across the globe, the online edition -- a subscription site -- had not found a market in India till date. But now that OED bigwigs have evolved a special Indian package -- upwards of 250 pounds per annum for institutions -- they are hopeful of establishing a client base in the country.

Mr. Simpson's engagements in the Capital and elsewhere have resulted in the Supreme Court, the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Delhi University and DEL-NET -- a large library network -- evincing an interest in OED online.

The online edition offers over 600,000 words from across the English-speaking world, pronunciations, etymologies, variants of over 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, including classic literature, specialist periodicals, film scripts and cookery books.

The entire 20-volume Second Edition and three Additions Series volumes -- that provides the base for the first ever comprehensive revision of OED -- is available online. To this is added at least 1,000 new and revised words each quarter. The new content includes several Indian words. And picking up an Indian tradition, a ``good beginning'' was made with the presence of ``mahurat'' among the first words added to the new revision of OED.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Other States
Previous : Pandavas go hi-tech
Next     : Badal to revamp SAD structure