The Different Ways Of Describing Meaning In Monolingual Dictionaries

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,0, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Institut für Anglistik / Sprachwissenschaft), language: English, abstract: In his textbook “Lexical Semantics”, D. A. Cruse defines dictionaries as follows: “An ordinary dictionary characterises a lexical item in three distinct, though intimately inter-connected, ways: first, its form (graphic and phonological); second, its grammatical function; and third, its meaning.” (1986: 1) The biggest challenge for dictionaries usually lies in the latter: the description of mean-ing. Readers of dictionaries may have different backgrounds of knowledge and a dis-tinct vocabulary, so their understanding of definitions may vary greatly. Bilingual dic-tionaries have an easier time facing this challenge. They simply state the translation for a lexical unit. Monolingual dictionaries, however, need to find ways to adequately and comprehensively describe meaning, with different target groups in mind. The following paper will discuss which methods dictionaries use to describe meaning. A special emphasis will be put on monolingual dictionaries and their approach to bringing meaning across to learners of English, who naturally draw on a limited vocabulary and thus may require innovative methods for the description of meaning.

This volume provides concise, authoritative accounts of the approaches and methodologies of modern lexicography and of the aims and qualities of its end products. Leading scholars and professional lexicographers, from all over the world and representing all the main traditions andperspectives, assess the state of the art in every aspect of research and practice. The book is divided into four parts, reflecting the main types of lexicography. Part I looks at synchronic dictionaries - those for the general public, monolingual dictionaries for second-language learners, andbilingual dictionaries. Part II and III are devoted to the distinctive methodologies and concerns of the historical dictionaries and specialist dictionaries respectively, while chapters in Part IV examine specific topics such as description and prescription; the representation of pronunciation; andthe practicalities of dictionary production. The book ends with a chronology of the major events in the history of lexicography. It will be a valuable resource for students, scholars, and practitioners in the field.

The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey. It is now a cliché that the world is a smaller place. We think nothing of jumping on a plane to travel to another country or continent. The most exotic locations are now destinations for mass tourism. Small business people are dealing across frontiers and language barriers like never before. The Internet brings different languages and cultures to our finger-tips. English, the hybrid language of an island at the western extremity of Europe seems to have an unrivalled position as an international medium of communication. But historically periods of cultural and economic domination have never lasted forever. Do we not lose something by relying on the wide spread use of English rather than discovering other languages and cultures? As citizens of this shrunken world, would we not be better off if we were able to speak a few languages other than our own? The answer is obviously yes. Certainly Steve Kaufmann thinks so, and in his busy life as a diplomat and businessman he managed to learn to speak nine languages fluently and observe first hand some of the dominant cultures of Europe and Asia. Why do not more people do the same? In his book The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey, Steve offers some answers. Steve feels anyone can learn a language if they want to. He points out some of the obstacles that hold people back. Drawing on his adventures in Europe and Asia, as a student and businessman, he describes the rewards that come from knowing languages. He relates his evolution as a language learner, abroad and back in his native Canada and explains the kind of attitude that will enable others to achieve second language fluency. Many people have taken on the challenge of language learning but have been frustrated by their lack of success. This book offers detailed advice on the kind of study practices that will achieve language breakthroughs. Steve has developed a language learning system available online at: www.thelinguist.com.

Better Words provides an introduction to EFL lexicography and an insight into its fundamental issues and problems. It describes in detail the major changes that have occurred in the production of EFL dictionaries over recent decades and will help teachers and their students to assess the description of the word stock on offer and to decide which EFL dictionary is the most adequate for their specific purposes. During the last twenty-five years lexicographers and their publishers have experimented with new ways of describing and presenting the words included in their EFL dictionaries to make them more accessible to users. This book compares these dictionaries and critically reviews the lexicographal achievements in the description and presentation of word meanings, registers, exemplification, cultural contexts and pictorial illustrations. It also examines the advantages and disadvantages of using a bilingual and a monolingual EFL dictionary. Better Words is a companion volume to Chosen Words: Past and Present Problems for Dictionary Makers by Noel Osselton (1995) and Living Words: Language, Lexicography and the Knowledge Revolution by Tom McArthur (1998). Both are published by University of Exeter Press in the series Exeter Language and Lexicography. The general editors of this series are Reinhard Hartmann and Tom McArthur.

Definition is a basic activity of language, of particular importance to linguists because of its use of language to describe itself. Beyond this inherent significance as a crucial element of language study, definitions also provide a rich potential source of the information needed for Natural Language Processing systems. This book describes an investigation of the subset of general language used in definition sentences and the development of a taxonomy of definition types, a grammar of definition sentences and parsing software which can extract their functional components. The work is based on definition sentences used in one of the dictionaries from the Cobuild range, and the book includes a brief history of the development of monolingual English dictionaries, an assessment of the concepts of sublanguages and local grammars and a full exploration of the results of the analysis and of the present and future applications of the taxonomy, grammar and parser.

Designed to help lexicographers compile better dictionaries of English, this book provides information about the language that is not available in any other single source. It is the first serious attempt to describe in detail the lexical and grammatical differences between American and British English and offers a trailblazing solution to the vexing problem of how to treat General American and British RP pronunciation in the same dictionary with the help of a Simplified Transcription for which any typewriter keyboard can be adapted and a pioneering description of the principles concerning the treatment of fixed grammatical and lexical collocations in future general-purpose dictionaries of English.

This book is concerned with dictionary-making and dictionary-research carried out in Romania. The outcome of extensive, hands-on experience in dictionary making and dictionary research, the volume addresses a range of culture-specific topics related to both dictionary-as-process and dictionary-as-product. It reflects the interests and concerns of all the stakeholders on the lexicographic continuum: theorists, practitioners, and dictionary users. The topics covered here encompass a number of macro- and micro-structural aspects relating to paper and online, monolingual and bilingual, general and specialized reference works. They create a composite picture of the lexicographic landscape in Romania set against a wider sociocultural backdrop. It is this ecology of dictionary making that helps explain the priorities, influences, pressures, and challenges that have shaped the local dictionary culture. The book will also provide researchers, practitioners, teachers and students with a clearer view of the peculiarities of the dictionary.

Annotation This study on dictionary look-up strategies shows how think-aloud can be used as an effective research method in studying look-up strategies in depth. The study also shows how a coding scheme of look-up operation codes can allow dictionary use researchers to analyze and describe dictionary look-up behaviour. The bilingualised learner's dictionary is shown to be highly usable and useful because of its compatibility with the language needs of learners. The claim that strategy use is complex is also supported by the results of this study."

Is the bilingual dictionary really the translator’s best friend? Or is it the case that all translators hate all dictionaries? The truth probably lies half-way. It is difficult to verify anyway, as the literature on the subject(s) is limited, not helped by the fact that Lexicography and Translation have stood apart for decades despite their commonality of purpose. Here is a volume, based on the proceedings of a successful conference at Hong Kong, that may at last provide some answers.

This book provides a systematic survey of the theory and methods of dictionary-making (including the linguistic background): what types of dictionary there are, how different kinds of information are dealt with when compiling dictionaries, how this information is presented to users, and how dictionaries are actually used. It refers throughout to both monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, giving a full account of the writing of definitions as well as of the selection and presentation of equivalents. The treatment of other types of information provided in dictionaries - such as pronunciation, inflection, constructions, collocations and idioms - is described systematically in individual chapters. The book also discusses dictionary structure, illustrations, the collection and selection of material, the management of dictionary projects, law and ethics in lexicographic work, and dictionary criticism. As well as looking at print lexicography, the author discusses the role of the Web, electronic corpora, electronic dictionaries, and compilation software used in dictionary-making. This is an important and practical guide to contemporary lexicography, designed for lexicographers, language students and teachers, translators and academics.