According to the scope of their word-list linguistic dictionaries are divided into general and restricted

General dictionaries represent the vocabulary as a whole with a degree of completeness depending upon the scope and the bulk of the book in question. Some general dictionaries may have very specific aims and still be considered general due to their coverage. They include frequency dictionary, a rhyming dictionary, a Thesaurus, etc., e.g. the Collins COBUILD Thesaurus.

Restricted dictionaries cover only a certain specific part of the vocabulary. Restricted dictionaries can be subdivided depending on whether the words are chosen according to the sphere of human activity in which they are used (1), the type of the units themselves (2) or the relations existing between them (3).

The first subgroup registers and explains technical terms for various branches of knowledge (medical, linguistic, economical terms, etc.), e.g. the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law. The second subgroup deals with specific language units, i.e. with phraseological units, abbreviations, neologisms, borrowings, toponyms, dialectal words, proverbs and sayings, e.g. the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Proverbs. The third subgroup contains a formidable array of synonymic dictionaries, e.g. the Merriam-Webster's Pocket Guide to Syno­nyms.

2.According to the information they provide all linguistic dictionaries fall into two groups: explanatory and specialized.

Explanatory dictionaries present a wide range of data, especially with regard to the semantic aspect of the vocabulary items entered, e.g, the New Oxford Dictionary of English.

Specialized dictionaries deal with lexical units only in relation to some of their characteristics, i. e. only in relation to their etymology, frequency, pronunciation, and usage, e.g. the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary.

3. According to the language of explanations, i.e. whether the information about the items entered given in the same language or in another language, all dictionaries are divided into: monolingual and bilingual.

In monolingual dictionaries the words and the information about them are given in the same language, e.g. the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

Bilingual dictionaries are those that explain words by giving their equivalents in another language, e.g. the English-Russian Phraseological Dictionary (by A.V.Kunin). They may have two principal purposes: reference for translation and guidance for expression. Bilingualdictionaries must provide an adequate translation of every item in the target language and expression in the source language.

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