But what sort of man was Johnson? He was brusque, opinionated, and so rude on occasion that some latter-day diagnosticians believe he suffered from Tourette's Syndrome. He did not so much speak as blurt, and many of his exclamations have joined the list of immortal quotes: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a Scoundrel," "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money," and "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of Life," to name but a few.
In the Blackadder episode, "Ink and Incapability," the learned Doctor is portrayed by Robbie Coltrane, with every bit of bluster one might expect from such a man. Dr. Johnson's rising irritation as Blackadder peppers him with portmanteau words -- "interphrastrically," "pericombobulations," and "extramuralisation" -- is priceless. And yet it may surprise many to learn that Johnson's own accent was anything but the posh pretentiousness of Coltrane's memorable performance; he had, in fact, a very thick and distinctive Staffordshire accent; according to Jeffrey Meyers' Samuel Johnson: The Struggle, he said "shuperior" for superior, "woonse" for once, and "poonsh" for "punch."
I hadn't realized this myself, until on listening to the audiobook version of my novel PYG -- in which the learned Doctor meets the Learned Pig (this is based on contemporary accounts) -- that I heard Simon Callow's marvellous personation of Johnson's voice, which perfectly and richly evokes both the accent and the man.
So have a browse at his Dictionary, and some of his remarks on men and letters as transcribed by his longtime sidekick and eventual biographer, James Boswell, and leave a few words here in comment or reply. Feel free to blurt!
In the Blackadder episode, "Ink and Incapability," the learned Doctor is portrayed by Robbie Coltrane, with every bit of bluster one might expect from such a man. Dr. Johnson's rising irritation as Blackadder peppers him with portmanteau words -- "interphrastrically," "pericombobulations," and "extramuralisation" -- is priceless. And yet it may surprise many to learn that Johnson's own accent was anything but the posh pretentiousness of Coltrane's memorable performance; he had, in fact, a very thick and distinctive Staffordshire accent; according to Jeffrey Meyers' Samuel Johnson: The Struggle, he said "shuperior" for superior, "woonse" for once, and "poonsh" for "punch."
I hadn't realized this myself, until on listening to the audiobook version of my novel PYG -- in which the learned Doctor meets the Learned Pig (this is based on contemporary accounts) -- that I heard Simon Callow's marvellous personation of Johnson's voice, which perfectly and richly evokes both the accent and the man.
So have a browse at his Dictionary, and some of his remarks on men and letters as transcribed by his longtime sidekick and eventual biographer, James Boswell, and leave a few words here in comment or reply. Feel free to blurt!
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading “Some Definitions,” I got the sense that Dr. Johnson was starting from, and trying to make sense of, organized chaos. People (like the Prince in Blackadder) knew how to speak English– what could they learn from a dictionary? Dr. Johnson, however, seems to relish in the fact that he was giving order to the language and to the written sense. This was clear when he discussed that he would use the preferred spelling (and sometimes pronunciation) while also including others. Change, as is mentioned in paragraph 86, is slow. There is no fast in-and-out movement with people who are mostly speaking a language. But to create a better sense of order to the written language (and the verbal aspect if including pronunciation), Dr. Johnson would place his preferred spelling first and foremost, encouraging those who were using the dictionary to do the same.
ReplyDeleteDr. Johnson also added his idea of the changing language because of the world’s stimuli. The world changes our language, and we can use it to change the world. Having an organized reference of all of the word’s one could need, their definitions, quotes/examples, and their origin can only help everyone to keep up with the changes (though they are not always quick), increase their vocabulary and knowledge, and more. Dr. Johnson says that “words are the daughters of the earth, and that things are the sons of heaven.” This pulled my attention because I believe that it calls back to the way that the world changes our language, but the things that happen to us (I didn’t take “things” as physical) are sometimes out of our control or in the control of someone else. We have control over the language and words that we use because we must think about what we are saying or writing, which is influenced by the outside world.
I deleted my above comment because it all came out as one paragraph!
Samuel Johnson's, "Preface to the Dictionary" showed me that his dictionary is highly distinct from other dictionaries. Johnson explains the various differences such as his dictionary really had no rules or direction when making it. Johnson took his time, and based his dictionary off chance. This is really interesting because Johnson did not follow a certain sequence, or assigned a particular definition to each word, some of his words had many definitions.
ReplyDeleteJohnson's idea of the dictionary really goes to show that language change happens often, and you have to keep up with the various changes that happen to language throughout the years. Johnson's dictionary shows many definitions on certain words, depending on who thinks what definition is right. If this was done in modern day, Johnson's dictionary would probably be twice as big due to the many changes in language we have had since 1755 in language. I feel that this form of the dictionary could be a bit confusing, but can also provide alot of information and knowledge on how quickly word meanings or words have an evolution.
-Jessica Fandino
Samuel Johnson’s Rambler No. 4 expresses his opinions on his views of fiction. How it can stimulate the mind to believe or think of ridiculous scenarios to emulate in real life. As he states, “It is justly considered as the greatest excellency of art, to imitate nature; but it is necessary to distinguish those parts of nature, which are most proper for imitation: greater care is still required in representing life, which is so often discoloured by passion, or deformed by wickedness.” I interpret this passage as he is warning readers to not be so quickly inspired by an idea a fictional story conveys. However, I disagree. To an extent I think keeping in mind a story's message can be beneficial and inspire an individual to try something new or move forward in life. Though may also be concerning if a negative message may justify a negative action. This is when it’s important to differentiate fiction from reality and how negative themes can be a way to develop as a person, not to act wrongly on them. Overall I do think Dr. Johnson’s Rambler No. 4 is quite silly on how it affects a reader’s psyche, but does illustrate a good opinion on how to appropriately interpret fiction stories.
ReplyDelete^ Apologies again for forgetting to put my name in - Agustin Custer
DeleteSamuel Johnson wrote the “Rambler No. 4” to critize literary works of fiction. He explains how fiction can influence someone’s mind into thinking the opposite of reality. He writes how he thinks it’s ridiculous that people would read something that isn’t real and that they would believe that reality could be like those works of fiction. He makes it clear that he strongly dislikes the idea of someone pretending that something is there when it’s clearly not. He explains how he would like people to see reality the way it is and not to live in a fantasy world.
ReplyDeleteJohnson wrote “Preface to the Dictionary”, to make his dictionary different from other dictionaries. He wrote the dictionary to make his own definitions and explanations without any rules and without any sense of direction. He didn’t want someone else to tell him how to write it, and he wrote the dictionary that he wanted people to believe was different from other ones. He explains how he wanted to make something that was only his ideas and no one else could take the credit for it.
Fiction for the sake of fiction, is a medium designed for brief escapism for the common man. The simplest works of fiction are meant to be accessible to the people. Due to this, I wonder how much of Dr. Samuel Johnson’s perception of literature was shaped by his upbringing and poverty. Having his collegiate education cut short due to finances, I am led to think that Johnson’s focus on academia began to put a wall up between him and fiction. For many, fiction is seen as a reflection of life and can be seen as rather unnecessary when working toward academic findings. I just find it interesting that many of Johnson’s warnings towards fiction stem from the idea of the psyche being corrupted by overly imaginative ideas and stimuli.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the pursuit of academia pushed aside works of fiction because Johnson believed his name would hold more weight if it were not associated with frivolous fiction. Johnson believed that fiction would fall behind with the generation that created it. In some ways, as there are many works of fiction we no longer possess, he was right. In other ways, he was wrong. Some works of fiction have far surpassed works of academia as they are hailed in the literary canon or beyond. Johnson was never faced with the prospect of “pop culture” that would multiply a work’s lifespan by tenfold. Harry Potter, for example, though not a rigorous text, is a piece of fiction that continues to branch out into new growths of success. I just wonder what went into Johnson’s dismissal of fiction.
Dr. Johnson's preface to the dictionary read, to me, as an indirect predecessor to Derrida's idea of words as signs (#17, "Words are but signs of ideas"). I am not sure if Derrida ever mentioned Johnson as an influence, but I found that his contemplation of language and meaning were so precise and a testament to his competence. Another part of the introduction that showed his attention while writing the dictionary I found in #48, where he talks about the inefficacy of translation and the ways its inevitable failability, how in some cases where multiple words mean the same thing but are only applied in certain contexts.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of that showed the atemporality of his ideas of language was in number 88, where he contests Swift's idea of not losing any word as we gain new ones. Johnson asks if a word shouldn't become absolete when it "conveys an offensive idea," something akin to the recent debates being had around sexual and racial minorites. Apparently there was more truth to Swift's claim than one could have assumed. That words, beyond their contextual meaning, sometimes hold a power that (to some) needs to be reclaimed as form of self-affirmation.
I arrived at this text without overt expectations but seeing timeless concepts, or at least contemporary ones, in Dr. Johnson's writings made me wonder further into what other types of non-normative trains of thought were also lurking around the cafes where he hung around.
Matheus Moraes
I find the idea of one person writing an entire dictionary both fascinating and questionable. Of course, Johnson's work is a tremendous feat. Putting together a piece of research so large is impressive. However, the dictionary's scope is inherently limited. The work is very biased just by nature of its creation. One person's knowledge and opinions cannot ever come close to describing the entirety of the English language. Things are going to be missing. For example, Johnson has left out a number of words for places. England, Ireland, France, and London are all not included. I have no idea what Johnson's reasoning for that may be. If he had completed the dictionary with a team of collaborators, more of these common words might have been chosen. I certainly think they make sense in a dictionary.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, Johnson's opinions on things seep through his definitions. For example, in his definition of "atheist", he writes that its is "One that denies the existence of God". His use of the word 'denies' is telling and insinuates his own belief in god. Through this, his definition of "atheist" carries judgement and is biased.
And of course, there were so many things Johnson did not know. It was a time before global communication and his world view was impacted by where he lived (England), his place in society, and his upbringing. At the time of his dictionary, there were American dialects of English being developed and spoken that he had hardly any access to and therefore did not represent in his dictionary.
-Isabel Rennick
Coming from poverty like Dr. Johnson I can understand the stance he has towards fiction writing. When you have no choice but to face your reality and live your day-to-day life having to make your way through things with no help, you feel as you don't have the time for things that aren't real or have real meaning. Although I will say today in age a little imagination can go a long way and can also be a mechanism to help a person get by. There are also some fiction writings where you almost feel like you're also a character in it because the author gives the character human like emotions/dilemmas.
ReplyDeleteDr.Johnson writing his dictionary on his own isn't surprising. Someone who doesn't care for others' opinions and who also happens to be very smart is expected to do this kind of research by himself. It's quite impressive really but I can't help but think that today that wouldn't be able to fly by with all the "inclusivity" issues we have going on; his dictionary would be considered biased/opinion based. Something like a dictionary would have to be reviewed by many and fit within certain guidelines/norms before it can be considered an official dictionary of the English language.
I absolutely loved all the readings. Dr. Johnson’s introduction to the dictionary can’t help but remind me of when I took English 432. We spoke quite a bit about dictionaries, including Johnson’s, and I remember one reoccurring narrative being the lexicographer’s herculean task; this idea that there’s a sort of heroic heritage of dictionaries and that the lexicographer, having inevitably become a sort of protagonist in their dictionary, is also heroic. Having now read the full thing, Johnson’s completeness of thought strikes me the most. It seems to me to capture the state of linguistics at the time with his seemingly conflicted later comments like [84] and [91].
ReplyDeleteI’ve recently been reading Plato’s Republic, and Johnson’s Rambler #4 certainly reminds me of Plato’s views on art; there is this idea that young people must be spared from immoral thought lest they be corrupted. Additionally, like the above comment on linguistics, he seems to be at another crossroad, this time observing a shift in popular fiction to the ordinary. A task that challenges his contemporaries to stop indulging themselves in their writing and to portray the world as it really is, as experienced by a principled man with lived experience. I think there’s much to love about this view and to admire about Johnson’s essay.
While reading Samuel Johnson’s “Preface to the Dictionary,” I find his explanation of the creation of the dictionary a bit amusing. Johnson calls himself an “unhappy mortal,” a “slave of science,” and a “humble drudge” while he worked on his dictionary. Just from the first few paragraphs, the reader can tell what kind of man Johnson was. He goes on to explain the difficulties of his task of wrestling the English language into something accessible and universally understandable. It is his cross to bear, but he does so “humbly” as he overcomes every outrageous and strenuous obstacle in his path. Not to say his task was not difficult, because it was. To write down as much of a spoken language as possible, providing all definitions and uses, even going so far as to find the origins, with hardly any help is a great feat indeed.
ReplyDeleteI watched a bit of the Blackadder episode and also saw his struggles depicted there. Johnson heard the butler use words that were not in his supposed finished book and hastily scribbled them down. He must’ve done that with most of the book, thinking of the words and writing them down before he lost them. Johnson didn’t question if those words were real or the butler was creating them on the spot to vex him. He also didn’t give up and say “well, the book is done because it has all the words English speakers need to communicate” or even “I’m not listening to what a butler has to say.” He kept writing new words, no matter the speaker or the speaker’s intent, because that’s what the dictionary is for.
- Spock Nardone
After analyzing Samuel Johnsons dictionary and reading up on him and his history realized he’s very egocentric and doesn’t like assistance from anyone. He’s a person who likes to do everything for himself and will accomplish it well. I compared myself to him frequently while learning and I also looked into his dictionary and realized he uses a lot of hyphens in his words. I pressed the random word machine and resulted in getting Deb’tor. It has almost the same meaning in a regular dictionary and it’s just that the words he uses in his are always separated, which is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe Preface in Samuel Johnson Dictionary by Dr. Samuel Johnson, Dr. Johnson felt as though “Every language has its anomalies” but also felt “must be tolerated among the imperfections of human things” (Johnson). I liked his argument that every language has its imperfections and quirks, but it's up to something such as a dictionary to either correct this and or create the standard guidelines of the language. He also stated how especially since there is written word now, it emphasizes the importance in creating something that everyone can follow to better understand one another. Dr. Johnson explains how some words were either altered by accident or by ignorance, which I found really interesting. An example that came to mind immediately was the word “diction.” People often use the word referring to someone’s physical enunciation and intonation of a word, while I always believed it meant someone’s choice of words they use. For example, an author may demonstrate a great diction in their writing. However, when I looked it up in the online dictionary, both definitions came up, with enunciation being the latter. Upon further research, I found that the original meaning of the word was in fact the choice of words someone uses and their overall vocabulary and style. This seems like an example to me of a word that was so commonly misused, the dictionary altered its meaning to “keep up” with the language and its ever-changing structure. Dr. Johnson acknowledges occurrences like this, stating “they must be permitted to remain untouched” (Johnson).
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