MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S ADVANCED LEARNER’S ENGLISH DICTIONARY

TO PREVIEW AT 2008 TESOL CONVENTION IN NYC

SPRINGFIELD, MA, March, 2008—A sneak preview of the next milestone coming from America’s foremost English language publishers—Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary—will be offered to attendants of the 2008 Convention of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) to be held next month at the New York Hilton. Due to launch later this fall, this groundbreaking new volume, ten years in the making and the first full-featured advanced learner’s dictionary from an American publisher, will be the focus of an April 4 presentation entitled “Using Learner’s Dictionaries in the Classroom,” a workshop of practical techniques for successfully incorporating learner’s dictionaries into a curriculum. The workshop will be jointly conducted by Merriam-Webster’s President and Publisher John Morse, who will discuss the process of creating the new Merriam-Webster’s Advanced English Dictionary and by noted author and instructor Susan Stempleski, who will demonstrate use of the dictionary when teaching language basics.

Merriam-Webster will also preview the BETA version of Learners Dictionary.com, a free Web site from Merriam-Webster scheduled to debut simultaneously with the publication of the new Advanced English Dictionary. Incorporating the full text of the learner’s dictionary, the site will offer many exciting features including “Ask the Editors,” (covering such topics as commonly misused words), “My Learner’s Dictionary,” where users may customize their own growing vocabulary, and “Learner’s Word of the Day.” The limited preview will be available to site visitors to Merriam-Webster’s booth # 1303 during the TESOL show, April 2 – 5.

The “Using Learner’s Dictionaries in the Classroom” workshop will be conducted from 3:00 to 3:45 pm on Friday, April 4, in the Madison Suite of the Hilton New York at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. For more information on the event, or to arrange an interview on this topic with John Morse, please contact Arthur J. Bicknell, Senior Publicist, at the above address.

Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
Merriam-Webster Inc. acquired the rights to revise and publish Noah Webster’s dictionaries in 1843. Since then, Merriam-Webster has maintained an ongoing commitment to innovation, scholarship, and love of language. Today, the company continues as the leader in both print and electronic language reference publishing with reference products, learning tools, and word games. For more information about the company, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, or the new Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary, visit Merriam-Webster OnLine at www.Merriam-Webster.com.