The Essay - Johnson Now - Johnson's Virtual Shadow

Four contemporary writers reflect on the mighty linguistic shadow cast by the compiler of the first great dictionary of the English language, Samuel Johnson. Johnson's monumental Dictionary set the standard; after Johnson had pronounced, English could never be the same again. In this series four very different writers from across the world reflect on the Johnsonian linguistic heritage as it plays out in their own world and their own lives... Pam Peters, eminent Australian lexicographer and Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Macquarie University, reflects on the dictionary since Johnson, especially in the New World. Producer: Marya Burgess (repeat).