Abstract
Lexicography's identity crisis leads to a shift towards electronic lexicographic tools. The rise of mobile phone and smartphone usage in South Africa also creates the opportunity for lexicographers to exploit a new market. This article looks at the current state of Afrikaans mobile dictionaries as an opportunity to delve into this market. The electronic WAT is analysed by primarily applying the function theory to show where user needs must be addressed. This leads to a model for improvement of this and possibly all other mobile dictionaries in South Africa.
Highlights
With the establishment of the National Lexicographic Units (NLU) between 1997 and 2001, a greater emphasis has been placed on language development and dictionary design (Prinsloo 2012: 121)
This article looked at the e-WAT as a guinea pig for the application of some lexicographic theories as a starting-point to improve Afrikaans and other cellphone dictionaries
The WAT is a very good dictionary and they do an outstanding job in setting the standard for lexicographic practice in South Africa, but the fact remains that the shift towards electronic mediums will greatly affect them too in the not-too-distant future
Summary
With the advances in technology and the market shift towards electronic tools, the need for digital lexicographic tools is growing (Anderson and Nielsen 2009: 360-362). This means that the areas of theoretical and practical lexicography overlap in the sphere of electronic lexicography. A functional analysis of the mobile and online versions of the WAT is undertaken This analysis creates the opportunity to develop guidelines or recommendations to improve mobile lexicographic tools in South Africa and even abroad. For the purpose of this article, the term mobile dictionary does not include other electronic devices such as palmtop dictionaries, even though they are mobile electronic tools (See Tono 2009)
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