One Database, Four Monofunctional Dictionaries

A dictionary is an information tool. In the last century most dictionaries were constructed as polyfunctional tools following a broad and imprecise understanding: A dictionary is to be used by everyone for every kind of communicative and cognitive problem. But normal tools are not polyfunctional. If you go to a shop and ask for a saw, you have to specify first what you are going to saw: a big tree or a small piece of plywood. After having explained that, you will be offered a monofunctional saw. So it should be, too, for the information tool: A good tool is a tool designed for a certain function and for a certain user group for certain needs. This paper will argue for the need of dictionary designs for monofunctional dictionaries. Doing that, we need to be aware of the fact that a lexicographical database is not a dictionary. A database contains data which can be presented in one or more monofunctional or polyfunctional dictionaries.The database of the dictionary in question comprises 4.015 (September 30st, 2012) cards with definitions, historical background, synonyms, references and links, pictures etc. Outgoing from this database, four different dictionaries are presented. All of them are dictionaries on musical terms mainly from the world of classical music, but also from commercial music and the so-called world music. The music dictionaries intend to be tools for music students in universities and music schools, for both amateurs and professional musicians and for every interested person who wants aid when reading texts on music or who wishes to get further information on musical terms and topics

On the timelessness of music dictionaries

CITATION: Bergenholtz, H. & Bergenholtz, I. 2007. On the timelessness of music dictionaries. Lexikos, 17:407-415, doi:10.5788/17-0-568.The original publication is available at http://lexikos.journals.ac.zaA music dictionary for the Internet fulfils the same functions as printed music dictionaries. An earlier music dictionary is as useful as a new one if its information is correct. But the fact that an Internet dictionary can at any time be corrected according to modern practices makes it, if not timeless, at least more up to date. Furthermore, the possibilities of illustrating with picture and sound open a wide field of usefulness. Nevertheless the lexicographer has to be aware of the different needs of different user types in different user situations. The dictionary being discussed, Musikordbogen, has been designed for text reception rather than translation or text production. After the inception of the dictionary has been described, the way the possibilities of the Internet has influenced the concept and the content of the articles and the outer texts is discussed.http://lexikos.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/568ArticlePublisher's versio

On the Timelessness of Music Dictionaries

<p>Abstract: A music dictionary for the Internet fulfils the same functions as printed music dictionaries. An earlier music dictionary is as useful as a new one if its information is correct. But the fact that an Internet dictionary can at any time be corrected according to modern practices makes it, if not timeless, at least more up to date. Furthermore, the possibilities of illustrating with picture and sound open a wide field of usefulness. Nevertheless the lexicographer has to be aware of the different needs of different user types in different user situations. The dictionary being discussed, Musikordbogen, has been designed for text reception rather than translation or text production. After the inception of the dictionary has been described, the way the possibilities of the Internet has influenced the concept and the content of the articles and the outer texts is discussed.</p><p>Keywords: MUSIC DICTIONARY, DICTIONARY FUNCTIONS, SPECIALIZED LEXICO-GRAPHY, INTERNET LEXICOGRAPHY, TRANSLATION, TEXT RECEPTION, TEXT PRODUC-TION, MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE</p><p>Opsomming: Oor die tydloosheid van musiekwoordeboeke. 'n Musiekwoor-deboek vir die Internet vervul dieselfde funksie as gedrukte musiekwoordeboeke. 'n Vroeëre musiekwoordeboek is net so nuttig soos 'n nuwe een indien sy inligting juis is. Maar die feit dat 'n Internetwoordeboek enige tyd gekorrigeer kan word volgens moderne praktyke, maak dit, indien nie tydloos nie, ten minste meer op datum. Verder open die moontlikhede van illustrasie met prent en klank 'n wye veld van bruikbaarheid. Nogtans moet die leksikograaf bewus wees van die ver-skillende behoeftes van verskillende gebruikertipes in verskillende gebruikersituasies. Die woorde-boek wat bespreek word, Musikordbogen, is beplan vir teksontvangs eerder as vertaling of tekspro-duksie. Nadat die ontstaan van die woordeboek beskryf is, word die manier bespreek waarop die moontlikhede van die internet die ontwerp en inhoud van die artikels en die buitetekste beïnvloed het.</p><p>Sleutelwoorde: MUSIEKWOORDEBOEK, WOORDEBOEKFUNKSIES, GESPESIALISEER-DE LEKSIKOGRAFIE, INTERNETLEKSIKOGRAFIE, VERTALING, TEKSONTVANGS, TEKS-PRODUKSIE, MUSIEKKENNIS</p&gt

Kvaliteten af de leksikografiske definitioner i ordbøger, leksika og encyklopædier

The titles of lexicographic tools – dictionary, lexicon or encyclopaedia – are normallyjust names given to them by the publishers, although you may point out certaindifferences between certain types. At least in the nordic countries the genuinepurpose of a dictionary normally is to be giving help by problems with existingtexts, the so-called communicative problems. A lexicon serves a narrow fieldwhereas an encyclopaedia serves as a tool for getting knowledge about all fields.Talking about quality in lexicographic works you may point out the lack of qualityin the sense of counting errors. But from a metalexicographic point of view the errorsare not important. More interesting are those definitions which are correct butnot sufficient. The thesis of our paper is that even if you assume a certain completeness,you cannot achieve quality without including a) the type of the potential user –being an expert, a semi-expert or a layman dealing with L1 or L2 – and b) the needswhich the reference work wants to fulfil – helping to solve problems in reception,text production, translation, or knowledge achievement. Examples from gene technologyand musicology will be given. Our own proposals are based on an Internetdictionary on musical terms, MUSIKORDBOGEN 2007, which has recently been madeaccessible