Selected reference books of 2000

摘要

DICTIONARIES De Mauro, Tullio. Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso. Torino: UTET, 2000. 6 vols. and 1 computer optical disc. L1.744.000 (ISBN 88-02055238). Following the Garzanti dictionary completed last year, Grande dizionario della lingua italiana moderna (Milano: Garzanti, 1998-1999. 5 vols. and 1 computer optical disc. L1.460.000), Italianists now have the option to acquire another multivolume Italian dictionary, also with a computer optical disk. The DeMauro dictionary, here under review, emphasizes the level of usage; each definition of a word is marked by usage level from basic, frequent usage to technical and special use, dialect, or simply obsolete. The usage-level codes are conveniently explained inside the front and back covers. This dictionary notes the year of first usage of the word and now includes obsolete words that originated in the thirteenth century. Both the Garzanti and the UTET dictionaries provide a generous number of examples. As for presentation, the UTET comes in a slightly larger format so the font used is also a bit larger and the use of bold characters in subheadings makes it easier to locate a word or phrase. However, Garzanti has the more pleasing typeface. Libraries serving scientists and engineers may prefer UTET because it has more scientific and technical terms than Garzanti does. UTET also covers a wider time period and could be useful to students of early modern literature and history. Garzanti, on the other hand, excels in explaining modern and contemporary usage form Manzoni to the present. The CD-ROM versions of both dictionaries can be used easily in the current standard computer with the speed of 200 MHz or more and the memory of at least 64 MB. Libraries, which keep older equipment, would have to upgrade to use the UTET CD-ROM version, which requires at least 32 MB of memory and the speed of 133 MHz. Garzanti can be used in an older machine with as modest a speed as 75 MHz.