Lexical Leavings
by Tom Gally
An article in today's Nikkei reports that,
despite an overall drop in the sales of books and magazines, dictionary
sales in Japan have been increasing. The possible explanations cited
include the supposed 日本語ブーム, faster revision cycles, the publication of
dictionaries that better meet readers' needs, and an increase in the
number of foreigners studying Japanese. Which factor might have had the
greatest effect is unclear, as the article provides no statistics about
which types of dictionaries are selling best. Although it got the
biggest headline, increased demand from foreign learners seems likely to
be the least important factor.(March 2, 2003)
(日本経済新聞, 2003.03.02)
(日本経済新聞, 2003.03.02)