Old Wisdom: The Highly Relevant Lexicographical Knowledge Obtainable from a Specialized Dictionary from 1774*

There is little doubt that lexicography has experienced important progress during the years, especially when one compare the lexicographical works from the various centuries. However, history should not be viewed as an ever-growing progress but as a process with its ups and downs. In this respect, some old lexicographical works, especially from the Age of Enlightenment, are in some aspects extremely advanced even compared with present-day dictionaries. Malachy Postlethwayt's Universal Dictionary of Trade and Commerce from 1774 is one such example. The article provides a general presentation of this rare and interesting dictionary which was published in various editions in the 18th century. The presentation includes a detailed description of the objective, functions, structure, and content of this impressive work. The article then focuses on its cognitive and operative functions, and the way they are integrated into one and the same reference work. Upon this basis, the article shows how modern lexicography can use past experiences in order to meet the real and practical needs of present-day users.Keywords: lexicography, historical lexicography, function theory, Operative functions, cognitive functions, dictionaries of economics, Interdisciplinary vocation of lexicography, information tool

Lexicography in the Information Age

Lexicography has much to contribute to the information and knowledge society. The very essence of lexicography is its capacity to provide quick and easy access to data from which information needed by different types of users in different types of social situations can be re-trieved. In this respect, the article discusses the concepts of information and knowledge related to lexicographic theory. On this basis, it argues that lexicography, if it concentrates on its core capac-ity, has the potential to be projected beyond the limits of known dictionaries. It proposes that besides the communicative and cognitive user situations that have already been dealt with in lexi-cographic literature, a third situation, the so-called operational situation, should also be added to the situations relevant to lexicographic theory. In this regard, it points out that other reference works than those traditionally discussed in lexicographic theory should be added to the list of util-ity tools that may benefit from a lexicographic approach. Keywords: lexicography, lexicographic tools, information needs, in-formation and knowledge societ

Pedagogical Lexicography: Towards a New and Strict Typology Corresponding to the Present State-of-the-Art

A frequent and well-known problem within lexicography is the use of various terms to denominate the same phenomenon as well as the use of the same term to denominate various, completely different phenomena. Such a non-systematic terminology may lead to confusion in thediscipline and hamper its theoretical and practical development. The problem is especially severe within so-called pedagogical lexicography. A short panoramic review shows that especially the terms "pedagogical lexicography/dictionaries", "didactic lexicography/dictionaries", "school dictionaries" and "learners' dictionaries" are used with a lot of different meanings that vary from author to author, from country to country, from culture to culture. Although publishing houses could hardly be expected to use a strict terminology for their products, this should nevertheless beexpected from theoretical lexicography. In order to overcome the present confusion, it is therefore urgent to establish a typology that can be used as reference by scholars dealing theoretically with the subfield of pedagogical lexicography. The article will first show the amazing variety of meanings addressed to the various terms in the theoretical literature. It will then approach the problem along two different lines: 1) establishing a clear definition of the terms "pedagogical", "didactic", "school" and "learner" in a lexicographical perspective, and 2) referring to the existing practice where the terms are frequently used in a much broader sense than in the theoretical literature. Based upon these considerations, a new and strict typology that corresponds to the present practice of pedagogical lexicography will be presented

Basic problems of learner's lexicography

In general, learner's dictionaries suffer from the fact that lexicography has been treated as a subdiscipline of linguistics and not as an independent discipline and that, correspondingly, no serious efforts have been made to develop a general theory of learner's dictionaries within the general theory of lexicography. Such a theory must undoubtedly be developed on the basis of the theory of lexicographic functions. Foreign language learning is a complex process and the very concept of a learner is in no way unambiguous. Dictionaries can be conceived to assist the learner in different aspects of the language-learning process. Accordingly, at least four main functions of a learner's dictionary can be distinguished corresponding to the following user situations: text reception in the foreign language, text production in the foreign language, conscious study of the foreign- language lexis and conscious study of the foreign-language grammar. Learner's dictionaries are, thus, not to be considered a special type of dictionaries, but constitute a more general category including various types of learner's dictionaries according to their functions or combination of functions. The great challenge to learner's lexicography is to conceive and compile dictionaries that assist the learner in as many aspects of the language-learning process as possible. Keywords: lexicography, learner's lexicography, learner's dictionaries, general theory of learner's lexicography, lexicographic functions, communication-orientated functions, knowledge-orientated functions, foreign-language text reception, foreign-language text production, assimilations of the foreign-language system, learners' characteristics, user needs, user situations, lexicographic data, lexicographic structure

Cuban School Dictionaries for First-Language Learners: A Shared Experience*

One of the reasons why many publishing houses hesitate when allocating resources to the development of more advanced concepts of school dictionaries for first-language learners is the relatively poor sales and corresponding profits coming from this category of dictionaries. A major challenge is therefore how to change the situation, stimulate the use and sales of school dictionaries, and guarantee the necessary investment in product development. This contribution will take up this challenge. It will give no final answer, but it will discuss an experience with a Cuban school dictionary which has reached its target users in large numbers. The contribution will particularly look at the multi-faceted relation between lexicographers and users which characterises the Cuban dictionary project. The objective is not to copy this or any other experience but to inspire lexicographers looking for alternative solutions to a problem which is affecting both school children and lexicographers in many countries and language communities.Keywords: pedagogical lexicography, pedagogical dictionaries, school dictionaries, first language learners, mother-tongue learner

Lexicography and the Relevance Criterion

Until recently, lexicography and information science could rightly be considered two disciplines which had developed along parallel lines but with no or very little formal relation between them. Although the two disciplines developed in almost complete isolation from each other, during the last few years it has nevertheless become increasingly clear that they have a lot in common. This trend began within lexicography which started viewing lexicographical works as a special kind of tool designed to be consulted in order to obtain information. Upon this basis, it has been suggested that lexicography should be considered a part of information science and, hence, integrated into it (cf. e.g. Bergenholtz and Bothma 2012, Tarp 2009). It is evident that this integration of two hitherto independent disciplines with long traditions of their own is not something to be solved overnight and neither can it be a unilateral process. This article will explore the concept of relevance in both disciplines in more detail and show, at the hand of examples from lexicographical tools, how the theoretical frameworks of both disciplines can complement one another. This will be done within the framework of the function theory of lexicography, as discussed in the many works of Tarp and Bergenholtz (e.g. Bergenholtz and Tarp 2002) and others, and relevance theory in information science as defined by Saracevic (1975, 1996), Cosijn and Ingwersen (2000) and others. Keywords:Lexicography, Function Theory, Cognitive Situations, Communicative Situations, Operative Situations, Interpretive Situations, Pre-Lexicographical Phase, Intra-Lexicographical Phase, Post-Lexicographical Phase, Information Science, Relevance Theory, Topical Relevance, Cognitive Relevance, Situational Relevance, Socio-Cognitive Relevance, Affective Relevanc

Skoolwoordeboeke vir huistaalleerders van Afrikaans

Skoolwoordeboeke vorm 'n uitgebreide tipologiese kategorie binne die versameling woordeboeksoorte. Die uiteenlopende verskeidenheid teikengebruikers van skoolwoordeboeke vereis egter 'n duideliker tipologiese omskrywing en 'n fyner onderverdeling in subkategorieë. Hierdie artikel fokus eerstens op sommige van die verskillende interpretasies van die term skoolwoordeboek en die onduidelikheid wat met die gebruik van hierdie term saamhang. 'n Onpresiese gebruik van die term lei daartoe dat voornemende gebruikers van skoolwoordeboeke nie weet wat om in 'n betrokke woordeboek te verwag en wie die beplande teikengebruikers daarvan is nie. Die leksikografiese funksies van skoolwoordeboeke word bespreek met die klem op Afrikaanse skoolwoordeboeke vir huistaalleerders. 'n Oorsig en kontekstualisering van hierdie woordeboeke word gevolg deur 'n bespreking van verskeie woordeboeke vir laerskool- en hoërskoolleerders. Aandag word gegee aan aspekte van die funksies, struktuur en inhoud asook aan positiewe en negatiewe kenmerke van die onderskeie woordeboeke. Dit blyk dat die ontwikkeling in die teoretiese leksikografie 'n positiewe invloed op die samestelling van skoolwoordeboeke gehad het. Uiteindelik word 'n aantal aanbevelings gemaak vir die verbetering van toekomstige skoolwoordeboeke. Die belangrikheid van 'n ondubbelsinnige aanduiding van onder meer die teikengebruikers en die gebruikersituasie word benadruk. Die opname, aanbieding en bewerking van data moet met inagneming van die gebruikersprofiel geskied. Sleutelwoorde: Addisionele Taal, Gebruikersituasie, Grondslagfase, Hoërskoolleerders, Huistaal, Kognitiewe Funksie, Laerskoolleerders, Leksikografiese Funksies, Skoolwoordeboek, Teikengebruiker, Teksproduksie, Teksresepsie, Woordeboektipologi

A new step forward for South African learners\' lexicography: The Oxford Afrikaans-Engels/English-Afrikaans Skoolwoordeboek/School Dictionary

No Abstract.Journal for Language Teaching vol Vol. 42 (1) 2008: pp. 65-8