Category: Experiences

by Hannah Faith Benton Samuel Johnson and one of his most famous works are the sole reason this project exists. Throughout his life in the 18th century, Johnson was a distinguished writer who made lasting contributions in various literary outlets from poems to plays. It comes as no surprise that this remarkable writer became the father of A Dictionary of...

by Katherine Weiss Samuel Johnson and His Dictionary of the English Language As Spring 2023 comes to a close, so does my second semester as a Samuel Johnson Dictionary Project team member. In the Fall, I served as a volunteer, dipping my toes into Johnson’s world as I proofread and quotation-matched. In the Spring, I became a full-fledged team member,...

by Tanner Slinkard Throughout LIN 4660, I and several other students were tasked to archive a classic dictionary – the 1773 edition – made by Samuel Johnson and headed by Dr. Beth Young. The project itself was so far a success and was intriguing for me and many others who partook in this endeavor. However, the work in question, although...

by Danae Stafford This is my second semester working on this project and my second reflection post. My first semester with the dictionary was very fulfilling, and I knew I wanted to keep up with it beyond those first sixteen weeks. I was very grateful to be able to return to the project, not only because I needed the credits...

by Iván Ramírez Sánchez In the following lines I will try to give some justification for such a grandiloquent title, but it does reflect a reality that we tend to overlook, especially before delving into lexicography. Samuel Johnson was a brilliant mind who possessed what has been said of some Spanish lexicographers: “ardor intellectual” (intellectual ardor), which means that they...

by Bernard King Before I begin on my reflection of this project, I want to discuss the original writer/researcher of Johnson’s Dictionary, Samuel Johnson himself. Born in Lichfield, England in 1709, Johnson experienced physical and mental health issues since he was an infant. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis at an early age. He also had to content with mental health...

by Kianna Solano Kianna Solano, a History major at the University of Central Florida, wrote this reflection for an independent study course during the Fall 2021 semester. Samuel Johnson is an ambitious man if I’ve ever heard of one. In fact, I wouldcall him tempestuous as well, a word that he would define with a short definition andabout a million...

by Janelle Guichard Janelle Guichard, a History major at the University of Central Florida, wrote this reflection after working as a volunteer during the Fall 2021 semester. When I began my first semester of majoring in History at University of Central Florida, I was hoping there would be an opportunity to become involved in an internship or project through the...

by Shannon Ganeshram Shannon Ganeshram, an English major at the University of Central Florida, wrote this reflection for an internship during the Fall 2021 semester. Samuel Johnson wrote his Dictionary almost completely by himself, a feat for his day and age. He was a prolific English writer with many works under his belt, but through his dictionary, he manages to...

by Jared Dennis Freedline Jared Dennis Freedline, a History major at the University of Central Florida, wrote this reflection for an independent study course during the Fall 2021 semester. During my work on the Samuel Johnson Dictionary Project, I learned about Samuel Johnson work on the 1755 version of his dictionary. Also, I learned how words were used back in...