C's and S's etc

Not just you.

I have a bookshelf now with my range of dictionaries ...tiny, well-worn old favourites through to larger formats which are more reading-glasses friendly.

I do have dictionaries in Kindle format for convenience, plus, you can ask an internet search engine "define your-word", however, it is still the physical book which best captures my imagination and exploratory interest.

I adopt the same strategy when learning a new language.

Partly, I suspect, as I am quite a visual learner and can retain an image in my mind - of the left hand or verso / right hand or recto, the orientation on the page, any notable formatting on that page and the other few words which also caught my attention at the same time.

One of my very large format, quite elderly, foreign language dictionaries is actually a pair of tomes - with lots of black and white artists illustrations. 

It is a dictionary aimed at adults in professional sectors and I think brings so much context and nuance to its education. 

It is a good reading selection if you are ill and taking things easy.  I prop the book open on a pillow to: support its weight and respect its age (because the likelihood is that I am going to be absorbed by it.for quite a while).

I have yet to find quite the equivalent dictionary in English - it has so much content with different professions in mind.  With its worked examples and illustrations; it almost verges upon encyclopaedia.

When I bought the 2-part tome, its prior owner had taken great trouble, care and respect - to wrap each book in multiple turns of a cotton sheet, secured with stout cord, and then further over wrappings to successfully protect it during delivery.  If only the dictionary would be able to convey its life history - it would likely have served a number of households before mine 

The country of that dictionary's origin has known great upheaval and destruction, many times, (both at the hands of mankind and through the processes of natural disasters) since its publication date.  Accordingly, I envisage its survival, as a paired tome, would have been much more doubtful in country of origin.

Although not of any great monetary value, I do appreciate its potential educational worth to its future diaspora generations now distributed around the globe. 

Such a tome represents World heritage. 

I am merely the temporary custodian.

With due respect, I have added it to my "Long Plan" assets list; as requiring scheduling for finding "a good home" - well in advance of my dotage. 

I am determined to personally oversee its eventual suitable re-homing (rather than subsequently relying upon an Executor completing the task). 

Nobody in my family is likely to appreciate its education / heritage worth; therefore, I continue to collate potential host Library contact details - to lodge with my Long Plan (there are several candidate UK institutions on my list to date - and I have yet to locate this dictionary in their catalogues - so it may be of interest to one of them - at some stage - space permitting). 

In the ideal World, the tome would return to its country of publication.  Alas, the physical perseverance of its likely institutions continues to be ever more precarious.

A reserve / conservation option, might be to approach a suitable academic digitisation project (I know of one UK candidate institution, plus, one in its country of publication and I periodically monitor both their progress - as fashions, funding and circumstance may yet wax and wane).  I have diarised in my Long Plan to sound out the UK project in circa 10 years time, presuming it extant at that range.  (I realise that the in country project institution continues to face a perilous outlook - maybe not so fortunate over the same timeframe).

In the meantime, the top UK candidate physical repository ought to be a good excuse for a road trip - to both check out its suitability in person and to enjoy exploring some of its existing collections!

I was also taught ITA English, when I got to Primary school, they had never heard of it, I ended up in remedial lessons. It’s only recently that I’ve realised I’m dyslexic, even autocorrect often can’t guess the words I’m trying to use.

So did I, Marianne72 , but now we can set up Dictionary Corner!

leveller61 said:

Autistic intense interest #5 in a series.

I thought I was the only one who read a dictionary for fun!

English is a tough language to learn. I feel fortunate that it's my mother tongue rather than trying to learn it later.

I am lucky also that I am good at spelling as many in my generation had their spelling ability disrupted by ITA (early phonics). My typing is however approximate/rubbish (fine motor skills) so I have to check everything!

I am unfamiliar with the S/C confusion - maybe you could offer an example?

The S/Z difference in words like 'apologise'/'apologize' is a UK vs. US English thing. Either seems to be acceptable these days.

The 'ph' is generally encountered when the word is rooted in Greek e.g. telephone, sphere because the Greek letter phi is their F sound. I guess that doesn't necessarily help!

And the ie/ei can be tricky. I tended to memorise the spellings as a child and browse the dictionary for hours. Autistic intense interest #5 in a series...

My brain is so ill-performing these days that I resort to a Dictionary.