Read the excerpt from samuel johnson’s preface to a dictionary of the english language. the two languages from which our primitives have been derived are the roman and teutonick: under the roman i comprehend the french and provincial tongues; and under the teutonick range the saxon, german, and all their kindred dialects. the underlined word emerges as a key term in johnson’s preface because it clarifies words’ pronunciations. questions words’ literary importance. explains words’ origins and variations. offers criticism of words’ common usages.