Dictionary of Contemporary German
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The Dictionary of Contemporary German (German: Wörterbuch der deutschen Gegenwartssprache) (WDG) was compiled in Berlin at the German Academy of Sciences (from October 1972: Academy of Sciences of the GDR) between 1952 and 1977 under the direction of Ruth Klappenbach. The dictionary appeared in 6 volumes and was reprinted in staggered volumes until the end of the GDR. The WDG comprises over 4,500 pages and contains almost 100,000 keywords. In its conception and selection of sources, it was far ahead of its time and was therefore used as a model for many dictionary projects, such as the Duden Verlag's Großes Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1976-1981).
In the West, the work was hardly reviewed in GDR times, let alone recognised and appreciated for its importance. This was certainly due to the fact that from volume 4 onwards it was adapted to the Marxist-Leninist world view. Keywords such as "nation" and "production" in volumes 4 to 6, published from 1970 onwards, were influenced by the new guidelines, and the new editions of volumes 1 to 3 (such as the keyword "German") were also revised accordingly. Overall, about 3% of the explanations of terms and commentaries appear ideologically influenced in this sense.
In February 2002, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities launched the project to digitise the six-volume WDG and make it electronically usable. In March 2003, the first version of the digital WDG was released for test use. After various revisions, a second version of the digital WDG was presented in July 2009, and the digitisation project was thus largely completed.[1] Today, the content of the WDG, together with parts of Duden's Großes Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (Great Dictionary of the German Language), forms the core collection of the Digital Dictionary of the German Language of the 20th Century (DWDS).[2] The DWDS offers the possibility to access the contents of the WDG specifically using search terms.[3]
Further reading[edit]
- Helene Malige-Klappenbach (Hrsg.): Das „Wörterbuch der deutschen Gegenwartssprache“. Bericht, Dokumentation und Diskussion (= Lexicographica, Series maior, Bd. 12). With the cooperation of Franz Josef Hausmann. Niemeyer, Tübingen 1986. ISBN 3-484-30912-1.
- Georg Stötzel, Thorsten Eitz (Hrsg.): Zeitgeschichtliches Wörterbuch der deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Schlüsselwörter und Orientierungsvokabeln. With the cooperation of Astrid Jährling-Marienfeld, Lea Plate and others. Olms, Hildesheim, 2nd extended and updated edition 2003, ISBN 978-3-487-11759-1.
References[edit]
de:Wörterbuch der deutschen Gegenwartssprache
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