Elwyn’s Glossary of Supposed Americanisms (1859): its lexicographical practice reconsidered

This paper aims to clarify the unique and historically significant aspects of Alfred Elwyn’s Glossary of Supposed Americanisms (1859) which have hardly been acknowledged until today, being shadowed by other renowned dictionaries of Americanisms in the nineteenth century, such as John Pickering’s, John Bartlett’s, Maximilian Schele de Vere’s and John Farmer’s. In order for the purpose to be achieved, I will collate the substance of the dictionary mainly with that of Pickering’s dictionary and that of Barlett’s dictionary. Besides, I will also collate Elwyn’s Glossary with William Craigie and James Hulbert’s Dictionary of American English (1936–1944), aiming to reveal the fact that the Glossary is still useful for us for the historical research of Americanisms.