Etymology means historical origin of words. While the historical dictionary deals with the history of the words, the etymological dictionary deals with the pre-history of the words. For this purpose, the lexicographer compares the cognate languages^1.
Hence the etymological dictionary is also called comparative dictionary; e.g. Dravidian Etymological Dictionary.

The focus of the etymological dictionary can be a single language or many languages. The dictionary whose focus is one language presents words of that language as entry words and the origin of those words are traced back to the proto language. In this process the cognate forms2 from the cognate languages are also given; e.g. An Etymological Dictionary of English Language.

The dictionary whose focus is many languages, the entry words given in the proto language, and its developed forms in the cognate languages are presented against the entry word.

           A. Answer the following questions:

       1. What is a synchronic dictionary?
       2. What are the two points that need to be explained regarding the term
           'Synchronic'?
       3. What is a diachronic dictionary?
       4. What are the different types of diachronic dictionary?
       5. How a historical dictionary is different from an etymological
           dictionary?
       6. What are the two different focuses of the etymological dictionary?

          B. State whether the following statements are true or false:

¹Languages which are genetically related are called cognate languages'. They are said to be descended from a common language which is called a proto language. Proto Dravidian is one such proto language, and Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and some more languages which are called Dravidian languages are the cognate languages of one another.

² Words comparable in form and meaning from different genetically related languages are called 'cognates forms. Eg: Tamil: talai, Kannada: tale, Telugu: tala, 'head'.

1. Linguistic information can only be presented synchronically. [True/False]
2. The term 'synchronic' does not stand for 'contemporary'. [True/False]
3. Historical information of the words is given in an etymological dictionary. [True/False]
4. For the purpose of a synchronic dictionary it is imagined that the language
   for which the dictionary is made belongs to one point of time. [True/False]
5. Cognate languages are those which are descendants of a common proto language [True/False]

C. Identify the correct answer:

1.______ dictionary deals with the lexical stock of a language at one stage of its development
            a)etymological b) historical c) diachronic d) synchronic

2.Historical dictionary deals with development of words in terms of their ______________
            a) written records b) cognate languages c) pre-history d) proto language

4. ______ means historical origin of the words.
            a) Synchronic b) Etymology c) Diachronic d) Cognate form.

     As Zgusta (1971:207) observes "the principles on which the author of a dictionary may decide to restrict it can vary endlessly". As such there can be any number of varieties or restricted dictionaries on the basis of the nature of their word lists:

1. Their covering special geographical regions, social dialects or special spheres of
    human activity.
2. Their formal shape,
3. Their semantic aspects and their relational value in the lexical stock or the language.
4. Their collocational value, and
5. Special languages units and others.

Based on this, we may summarize that the dictionary makers can restrict their dictionaries to:

          (1) Regional dialects, social dialects, professions, etc.
          (2) The shape of the lexical units.
          (3) Semantic aspects.
          (4) Collocation and
          (5) Special language units and others.