Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary (Hardcover)

~ Maria Cristina Bareggi (Editor)
Key Phrases: anche fig, fare passare, agg inv, New York, Gran Bretagna, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the last decade, Oxford University Press has created a unique program in bilingual dictionaries, wherein we have joined forces with leading foreign dictionary publishers to create reference works of unparalleled currency and reliability. These works include The Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary, The Oxford-Duden German Dictionary, and The Oxford Spanish Dictionary, all of which are now the leading unabridged dictionaries in their field.
Now, in associations with Paravia, one of the foremost publishers in Italy, we have produced the newest volume in this series--a landmark unabridged dictionary of Italian. Reflecting the efforts of two national teams of lexicographers, who painstakingly investigated vocabulary, meanings, and grammatical usage in their own particular country, The Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary boasts more than 700,000 words, phrases, and translations--far and away the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage available. The dictionary offers superlative guidance on the general, scientific, literary, and technical vocabulary of contemporary Italian and English. Moreover, entries feature helpful illustrative sentences, which are carefully selected to highlight the full range of meanings and typical contexts. The dictionary also provides in-text boxes that provide extensive help with difficult points of grammar and usage, including guidance on key constructions and complementation, plus vocabulary building panels for extra information on the seasons, numbers, sports, and other topics.
The unsurpassed range of this dictionary--along with the extensive vocabulary and usage notes throughout--make it an essential reference work for all serious students of Italian, as well as translators and language professionals.

About the Author

Maria Cristina Bareggi is an experienced lexicographer who lives in Italy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2672 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Bilingual edition (December 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198604378
• ISBN-13: 978-0198604372
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.1 x 3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #943,467 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CONCISE Oxford Paravia Italian dictionary is NOT the (unabridged) Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary , July 20, 2006

By	T. Luck "theloniusluck" (Boh.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Concise Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary (Hardcover)

Due to some erroneous links and reviews posted for the unabridged edition Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary here at the "Concise" edition's product page, I'm posting notes here for clarification. N.B. the "click to look inside" function currently posted for the Concise Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary actually displays the unabridged, first edition version. One can still get an idea of the Concise's content/quality (and the second, unabridged edition's quality) from this erroneous link.

The Concise Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary (= book-jacket title; title page = Oxford Paravia il dizionario; ISBN-10: 0198607695, from book jacket; ISBN-10: 8839550380, from back cover) is an abridged version of the first edition of the Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary (published in 2001; the 2nd edition Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary is identified by ISBN-10: 0199297754, book jacket & t.p. verso; back cover ISBN-10: 8839550399. The second edition title page verso lists both 2005 and 2006 as publication dates. Amazon may still list the publication date as 2007 (which I believe is the year it was made available in the USA).

The Concise Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary has 1,627 (numbered) pages. The Oxford Paravia Italian Dictionary, Second Edition ("OPID2") has "xvi, 2773" (numbered) pages. The OPID2 is a recommended purchase for dedicated students of the Italian language as it is the finest single-volume bilingual Italian-English dictionary on the market today. The finest single-volume monolingual Italian dictionary is the Devoto-Oli Vocabolario della lingua italiana (published by Le Monnier, updated annually), originally authored by Giacomo Devoto and Gian Carlo Oli, now edited by the esteemed linguists, Luca Serianni and Maurizio Trifone. (you can purchase the Devoto-Oli through several online Italian book vendors--amazon often censors URL references to other sites)

The Concise Oxford Paravia Dictionary may very well be the finest concise bilingual Italian-English/English Italian Dictionary, though it is published only in hardcover and is slightly larger in format than, e.g., the excellent Webster's New World Italian Dictionary: Italian/English, English/Italian (ISBN-10: 0139536396; paperback, c.1985, reprint 1992). If you purchase the unabridged Oxford Paravia, you may choose the that-much-more-portable Webster's to carry to Italian classes, for your backpack, etc., over the Concise Oxford Paravia.

That said, The Concise Oxford Paravia is an excellent, less-expensive choice for those who will not be purchasing the unabridged OPID2, or can wait for a later unabridged edition when they are further along in their studies. The "Concise" includes many of the "side-bar" features--themed vocabularies, added information on keywords, etc.--that are features of both unabridged Oxford Paravia editions, but are not features of the (still very fine) Webster's. [9/29/08]

[see my ITALIAN LANGUAGE STUDIES listmania and other lists and reviews I've posted for more Italian-student-friendly products]

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from a 3rd year student of the Italian language., March 10, 2006

By	Matthew McGivney (Aviano AB, Italy) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a 3rd year student of the Italian language, and this dictionary is the best I've seen yet. There are over 2500 pages with literal and colloquial translations. I highly recommend it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great dictionary with many features, March 18, 2007

By	Robin Hiscock (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Oxford-Paravia Italian Dictionary (English and Italian Edition) (Hardcover)

This dictionary is a great resource, covering contemporary English and Italian. The word list and examples in the Italian-English section are backed by the work involved in preparing the Italian dictionaries edited by Tullio De Mauro and published by Paravia in 2000. It is matched with the Oxford University Press word list and examples. In both Italian-English and English-Italian sections, a triangle marks the 7,000 core words of the language. The most frequent 3,000 words are marked with a black triangle and the next most frequent 4,000 words are marked with a white triangle. The explanatory chart just inside the cover is an easy to find and use resource, provided in English behind the front cover and in Italian at the back cover. The middle section has many useful examples, such as "Condoglianze (formal)" in an English format on the left page and "Condolences: formal" in an Italian format on the right page.

My wife and I are taking Italian classes to prepare for a summer trip. It's a big, heavy book, so we don't move it from the desk where we work. We refer to this book frequently as we progress through our class.