Customer Reviews

Langenscheidt Spanish New College Dictionary

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A dictionary should demonstrate good lexicographic technique and have an up-to-date-vocabulary. The Langenscheidt dictionary does neither.

Take for example, a word with multiple meanings, like the word "loop" The Langenscheidt simply lists the translations: "lazo, vuelta, bucle, lazada, cruce (de cuerda, cable, etc.)." For a Spanish speaker reading in English, this is enough, as the reader can look over the potential translations and choose the one which fits the context. But for the English reader writing in Spanish, this is hopelessly inadequate, as the dictionary provides no clue as to which translation to use in which situation.

Compare the treatment of the same word in the far superior American Heritage Spanish Dictionary. "(length of line) lazo; (coil) vuelta; (bend) curva; (circular path) vuelta, circuito; (fastener) presilla" etc. Here, the user is given glosses in the native language to assist in identifying the right word for the context. Example sentences are also a tremendous help.

A good dictionary should maintain an up-to-date lexicon, including such cultural and technological additions to the language as "baby sitter," "hostile takeover," "software," "hard drive." But the compilers of the Langenscheidt have totally neglected this aspect; the lexicon of the work is outdated.

Based on the research I did for my Master's thesis, I would recommend Oxford, Larousse, and HarperCollins instead.

I'd only used Langenscheidt for German dictionaries before and knew they were top of the line. Now I see that the Spanish version is just as good and complete.

A must have for college undergrads! This is a great book to have! I would buy it twice if I could!

Great buy: 2 books in 1.
Bought this for 2nd Master's thesis to keep at my office along with Barron's Spanish Verb Conjugation. The compact size fits perfectly in a drawer and takes up prescious little desktop real estate. Bold print words are formatted with indented definitions making quick work to identify your placement on the page and the thumb indexing takes one directly to the correct alphabet letter super fast. Sturdy,thick paper stock stands up to lots of finger traffic!
Written from a Hispanic perspective, its Latin flavor immerses this reference jewel into a cultural experience by prioritizing classic Spanish definitions with new expressions.
Academically superior to any other Spanish reference and unique in its quality binding, size, paper grade, conjugation tables, terms and definitions.
Backpack convenient and light weight too. A must-have for home or office.

this type of dictionary has very small books and very large. the small ones fit easily in my backpack, and the large ones stay open on my desk at home. (unlike any other dictionarys I have.)