Afrikaans, American and British Models for South African English Lexicography: Racial Label Usage

M Lynne Murphy

doi:10.5788/7-1-977

Abstract

This article examines the treatment of racial labels in monolingual English dictionaries of South Africa. Considering past controversies regarding racist language in Afrikaans dictionaries and considering the changing role of English in democratic South Africa, we can expect that English dictionaries will be more carefully scrutinized in future for potential offence. With the boom in the South African lexicography industry, now is a prime time to reflect on the issues involved and suggest courses of action. This article places South African English dictionary traditions in a national and international context, by comparing the traditions and the roles of the languages in Afrikaans, British and American lexicographical traditions. While South African English lexicography is rooted in the British tradition, its possible evolution on the American model is demonstrated, and thus the role of the dictionary in a postcolonial community is briefly discussed.

Highlights

This article examines the treabnent of racial labels in monolingual English dictionaries of South Africa
Evidence for a South African (Afrikaans) model for English lexicography comes from two recent sources: developments in AFRILEX, the relatively new association for lexicography in Africa, and an articulated policy strategy for treating taboo items in volumes of the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (WAT)
Since South African English lexicography is derived from the British lexicographical tradition, we can expect that dictionary treatments of racial terms will be rather different in the two cultures

Summary

Introduction

This article examines the treabnent of racial labels in monolingual English dictionaries of South Africa. This essay contrasts the practices of and attitudes toward racial label treatment in South African English, Afrikaans, and other English dictionaries. The treatment of racial labels such as black, African, white, Coloured, and Asian in English dictionaries for the South African market is discussed elsewhere (Murphy, forthcoming).

Results

Conclusion