The Utilisation of Outer Texts in the Practical Lexicography of African Languages

Abstract

Abstract:In this article, an analysis of the utilisation of outer texts in recently compiled dictionaries of African languages is presented. The analysis is undertaken in the context of an upsurge of the compilation of dictionaries in the African languages. It is undertaken with a view to do a qualitative evaluation of the many new dictionaries of African languages that have come on the market in recent years. The point of departure is that prior to the recent lexicographic developments, the then available dictionaries were compiled in the context of the limited role the African languages played. It has been found that most of those dictionaries are limited in scope, perspective and function and hence less effective now that the languages are being assigned a greater social role. The evaluation of outer texts in modern dictionaries is therefore a way of measuring the extent to which lexicographic practice in the African languages is applying theoretical developments to produce better dictionaries. Keywords: LEXICOGRAPHY, LEXICOGRAPHIC PRACTICE, METALEXICOGRAPHY, DICTIONARIES, AFRICAN LANGUAGES, FRAME STRUCTURE, OUTER TEXTS, FRONT MATTER, BACK MATTER, MIDDLE MATTER, LEXICOGRAPHIC DATAOpsomming: Die aanwending van buitetekste in die praktiese leksikografie van die Afrikatale. In hierdie artikel word 'n ontleding van die aanwending van buitetekste in onlangs saamgestelde woordeboeke van die Afrikatale aangebied. Die ontleding word gedoen in die konteks van 'n oplewing in die samestelling van woordeboeke in die Afrikatale. Dit word onderneem met die oog daarop om 'n kwalitatiewe beoordeling van die baie nuwe woordeboeke van die Afrikatale te doen wat in die laaste jare op die mark gekom het. Die vertrekpunt is dat, voor die onlangse leksikografiese ontwikkelinge, die toe beskikbare woordeboeke saamgestel is binne die konteks van die beperkte rol wat die Afrikatale gespeel het. Daar is vasgestel dat die meeste van daardie woordeboeke beperk in omvang, dimensie en funksie en daarom minder doeltreffend is noudat 'n groter maatskaplike rol aan die tale toegeken is. Die beoordeling van buitetekste in moderne woordeboeke is daarom 'n manier om die omvang te bepaal waartoe die leksikografiese praktyk in die Afrikatale teoretiese ontwikkelinge toepas om beter woordeboeke voort te bring.

Developing a dictionary culture through integrated dictionary pedagogy in the outer texts of South African school dictionaries: the case of Oxford Bilingual School Dictionary: IsiXhosa and English

“…While they pay attention to the role of the outer texts of that dictionary in terms of providing alternative venues for information retrieval and facilitating access to the different access positions, their focus was not on how the dictionary also serves as a tool for dictionary pedagogy. Therefore, unlike Chabata and Nkomo (2010), the focus of the present appraisal is mainly on the pedagogical nature of the outer texts in relation to dictionary skills and dictionary culture. The idea that the outer texts of the OXSD constitute a form of dictionary pedagogy was initially suggested in the review of the dictionary by Nkomo (2014a: 421) when he wrote regarding its outer texts:…”