spanish-language reference

A couple of things should be kept in mind when considering the purchase of this dictionary. First, it is a work that focuses on Spanish as written in Spain. If regionalisms exist, it is because they are Spanish or were found in the source material--books and periodicals (primarily newspapers)--published within that country. Second, the material it references was published between 1955 and 1993.

This is an important work that should be used as much for primary study as for secondary reference. It limits its entries to words in current use. Rather than relying on sample sentences created by its authors, the dictionary cites real published Spanish to illustrate a particular meaning of an entry--similar to the OED, though limited to the second half of the twentieth century.

In as far as comparing this dictionary with others. I don't believe it is competing with any other. No, it does not have the latest terms. I don't think any voluminous dictionary can--particularly where innovation and techology are concerned. But its authority is unassailable. It deserves a place on the same bookshelf as Maria Moliner's Diccionario de Uso del Espanol and Rufino J. Cuervo's Diccionario de construcción y régimen de la lengua castellana.

This dictionary has a broad vocabulary coverage and numerous usage notes as well as regional definitions. One of its weaknesses is, however, that it surprinsingly fails to include several words of widespread use today such "Internet", "Web", and others.

Additionally, and to justify its considerable price, Aguilar (its publisher) should have included the CD version of this title. I do not know if such version exists (Aguilar does not list it among its products) but its apparent unavailability makes this dictionary technologically outdated. Advances in word processing and application software integration, and increasing consumers' technological sophistication make dictionaries in CD format a required product offering if publishers are to meet the demands of new generations of users.

In summary, although I acknowledge Mr. Seco and his team's commendable efforts to develop a quality dictionary, they need to update it to succesfully compete with similar products in the market. As an alternative to Mr. Seco's book, I recommend Maria Moliner's "Diccionario de Uso del Español" 2nd. ed. which comes in print and CD formats; its price, however, is also high, although many consider it worth the investment.

Being Spanish and living in any Latino-american country is not always an easy task. Apart from the problems of the people asking you to give back the gold the Conquistadores took away (I always answer with the suggestion that they should ask certain Central European bankers of those times and of the present times)there are the problems of the language. Well, this wonderful instrument gives you, us, the possibility to discus- in a friendly way- of OUR common spanish language, from both sides of the Atlantic, at this time of History. The huge number of quotes make it enyoyable to read even as a book.Una delicia, que espero disfrutar plenamente, a sorbos cortos como el buen café, cuando me lo compre.