description A. S. Hornby Overview
Albert Sidney Hornby was an English grammarian and lexicographer who specialized in creating accessible reference materials for learners of the English language. Working as a teacher in Japan, he developed a dictionary focused on defining words using a limited vocabulary, first published in 1942. This foundational work was later reissued by Oxford University Press in 1948 as the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, establishing a new standard in English language education.
insights Ranking position
A. S. Hornby ranks #99 of 313 in the Lexicographer ranking, behind Rasmus Christian Rask, ahead of Zsigmond Simonyi.
help A. S. Hornby FAQ
What does A. S. stand for in A. S. Hornby?
A. S. Hornby's full name was Albert Sydney Hornby. He was born in 1898 and died in 1978.
Why did Hornby create a dictionary specifically for English learners?
While teaching in Japan, Hornby observed that students could read English literature but struggled to produce natural spoken and written English. His dictionary therefore emphasized grammar, idiom, usage, and the patterns needed to construct sentences.
Was Hornby's dictionary first published by Oxford in 1948?
Oxford University Press published A Learner's Dictionary of Current English in Britain in 1948. Its immediate predecessor, the Idiomatic and Syntactic English Dictionary, had already appeared in Tokyo in 1942.
Did Hornby work with Harold E. Palmer in Japan?
Yes, Hornby worked within the Institute for Research in English Teaching associated with Harold E. Palmer. After Palmer left Japan, Hornby took on a leading research and editorial role in Tokyo during the 1930s.
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