SOLDIERING AHEAD WITH PCP DICTIONARY

Dictionary of Military Terms
Richard Bowyer, Peter Collin Publishing Ltd., Teddington, Middlesex, England, 1999 $15.95.

THIS MILITARY DICTIONARY, containing 5,500 carefully defined terms, is the only dictionary of its kind available through commercial means. The 214 pages of definitions are supplemented by the phonetic alphabet, a list of numbers and time designations, British and US military rank structures, an explanation and example of formal military orders, and military group symbols.

The entries themselves include both British and US military terms, many of which are identified as such with the variant spellings, definitions and pronunciations. In addition to the military terms there are a large number of general English words that might be used in a military scenario.
The entries frequently include example sentences to show usage, and there are boxed comments providing additional information about certain words which prove particularly interesting and clarifying.

US users should note that the US pronunciation is not given for some words; some terms are particularly British but are not identified as such (e.g., glasshouse: military prison; brew up: vehicles catch fire); and some words have a definition that is British and not familiar to Americans (e.g., commissary: officer responsible for supply of food, clothing, etc.).

However, the bottom line is that this dictionary would be helpful for anyone wanting to learn more military English.
In the world of NATO expansion and increased coalition and peacekeeping missions, there is a need for such a dictionary. Mr Bowyer’s publication, with its user-friendly format, concise and complete definitions and pertinent sample sentences, makes a real contribution to the field.

Dr Faith Wotton Cartwright, Training Advisor, Defense Language Institute English Language Center, Lackland AFB, Texas.