Country Netherlands Pages 4464 Originally published 1864 Genre Dictionary Subject Dictionary | Publication date 2005 ISBN 90-6648-427-6 Page count 4,464 Editor Cornelis Kruyskamp | |
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Original title Van Dale's Groot woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal Publisher Van Dale Lexicografie b.v. People also search for Word list of the Dutch language | ||
Van Dale's Great Dictionary of the Dutch Language (Dutch: Van Dale Groot woordenboek van de Nederlandse taal, [vɑn ˈdaːlə ˈɣroːt ˈʋoːrdə(n)ˌbuk fɑn də ˈneːdərˌlɑntsə ˈtaːl]), called Dikke Van Dale [ˈdɪkə vɑn ˈdaːlə] for short, is the leading dictionary of the Dutch language. First published in 1874, as of 2005 it lists definitions of approximately 90,000 headwords.
Contents
History
Van Dale's dictionary was first published in 1874, after the death of Johan Hendrik van Dale, who had started work on his New Dictionary of the Dutch Language (Nieuw woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, [ˈniu ˈʋoːrdə(n)ˌbuk dɛr ˈneːdərˌlɑntsə ˈtaːl]) in 1867. This was built upon the original same-named 1864 dictionary of I.M. Calisch and N.S. Calisch. Van Dale did not see the new work published in his lifetime, as he died in 1872. It was finished by his student Jan Manhave. Today it is published by the private company Van Dale Lexicografie.
Commonly nicknamed Dikke Van Dale ("fat Van Dale") and Grote Van Dale ("big Van Dale") due to its size, the dictionary is published in three volumes (A-I, J-R, S-Z). It is usually updated every 7–8 years, and the 15th edition was published in 2015. Today there are compilations, pocket editions, electronic editions on CD-ROM and an online edition on the Van Dale website. The online edition includes a free version for the more common words, and a subscription-based professional version with access to the full 90,000-word dictionary.
Position
The Van Dale Dictionary is a private endeavor, to be distinguished from the government-published "Green Booklet" that lists the official spelling mandated for schools and government employees. Van Dale includes the official spelling of the words as well, but it further provides their definitions.
There have been arguments whether inclusion in Van Dale should be understood as an approval, in particular for words considered discriminatory like neger ("negro", but traditionally not used in a derogatory sense in Dutch). The position of the editors is clear: the actual use is decisive. Disapproved words are marked as such, but not omitted. The purpose is to inform the reader, therefore the responsibility of using certain words lies solely on them.
Company
Apart from publishing the authoritative Dutch-language dictionary, Van Dale Lexicografie also publishes bilingual dictionaries for other languages, translated from and to Dutch, and also offers language courses and translation services.