MERRIAM-WEBSTER TO ATTEND JALT CONFERENCE IN TOKYO

Company President and Publisher offers "First Look" at Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

SPRINGFIELD, MA, October, 2008—Representatives from Merriam-Webster, America's leading English language reference publisher, will be traveling to Tokyo, Japan at the end of this month to attend the 34th annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Expo sponsored by JALT, the Japan Association for Language Teaching. John M. Morse, the company's President and Publisher, will deliver a presentation entitled Merriam-Webster's Learner’s Dictionary: A First Look—a behind-the-scenes examination of this month's launching of Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary—the first advanced learner's dictionary from an American publisher. Created by North America's foremost language experts, this groundbreaking volume is designed to help advanced students of English as a second language master spoken and written English as it is actually used.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary covers nearly 100,000 words and phrases with more than 3,000 core vocabulary words identified, and features more than 160,000 usage examples—the most of any learner's dictionary. It explains meanings of thousands of idioms, collocations, and commonly used phrases from both American and British English, and offers expert guidance from Merriam-Webster lexicographers about meanings, connotations, and usage status for more effective communication.

"We're bringing something new to the table with Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary," said John M. Morse, Merriam-Webster's Publisher and President. "Our unrivaled authority on American English and our unmatched expertise at designing, writing, and editing dictionaries, combined with our deep faith in the power of clear and concise usage examples, has produced a learner's dictionary unlike any other. Creating this dictionary was a ten-year project, and we think teachers and students will be very pleased with the outcome."

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary also includes a free ebook download and access to a free Web site, Learners Dictionary.com. Features of the new site include "Ask the Editors," (covering such topics as commonly misused words), "My Learner’s Dictionary," where users may customize their own growing vocabulary and practice with virtual flashcards, and "Learner's Word of the Day."

As part of an international press tour supporting the launch of Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary and the new site Learners Dictionary.com, in addition to attending the JALT conference (October 31-November 3, 2008 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Tokyo), Mr. Morse will also be speaking at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.