Straddling the Boundaries of Traditional and Corpus-Based Lexicography: A Latvian-Czech Dictionary

By November 23, 2016,
Page 910-914
Author Michal Škrabal
Title Straddling the Boundaries of Traditional and Corpus-Based Lexicography: A Latvian-Czech Dictionary
Abstract The aim of the presentation is to introduce an ongoing project of a Latvian-Czech dictionary, the first bilingual lexicographical description for this combination of languages. My quite logical tendency to employ corpus methods faces, however, a significant problem – a limited data base. Thus, I necessarily find myself straddling the boundaries between the traditional, “card-based”, and “new”, corpus-based, way of lexicographical work. However, this should not be seen as a disadvantage – the dictionary is being built on the solid foundations provided by traditional, time-proven lexicographical practice. Nevertheless, whenever possible, I try to employ modern-age tools and methods (corpora, internet, software, etc.) which save a substantial amount of work and time. Several sample entries on the poster demonstrate the sought-after priorities of the dictionary. These are – at least in the field of Czech-Baltic lexicography – innovative features: a modern, user-friendly approach; a rich description of collocations; descriptiveness rather than prescriptiveness; the “emancipation” of certain lemmas (often excluded from the main list of entries, taboo-words, or words traditionally nested – e.g. feminine derivates, etc.); usage notes. If the existing, albeit prevailing, lexicographical description is inconsistent with the language reality, it should be – contrary to the tradition – discarded and replaced with another description.
Session Reports on Lexicographical and Lexicological Projects
Keywords Latvian-Czech dictionary; traditional vs. corpus lexicography; bilingual lexicography; limited database
BibTex
@InProceedings{ELX2016-101,
author={Michal Škrabal},
title={Straddling the Boundaries of Traditional and Corpus-Based Lexicography: A Latvian-Czech Dictionary},
pages={910-914},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th EURALEX International Congress},
year={2016},
month={sep},
date={6-10},
address={Tbilisi, Georgia},
editor={Tinatin Margalitadze, George Meladze},
publisher={Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi University Press},
isbn={978-9941-13-542-2},
}
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