Cultural, Linguistic and Lexicographic Precursors of English Lexicography in India

Abstract

Lexicography of the English language in India (ELLI) is a logical continuation of two lexicographic traditions – a two-thousand-year old classical Indian and a rich British. At the same time, some methodological innovations aimed specifically at revealing properties of the nascent Indian English have also been introduced. The study of these traditions is a prerequisite for the research of the ELLI. This approach allows evincing the specificities of the ELLI and its consideration in the global linguistic and lexicographic context. The aim of this research consists in the scrutiny of the first ‘pillar’ the ELLI rests on, the classical Indian lexicography and bilingual dictionaries compiled in the period preceding publication of the first English dictionaries in India. Critical review of the lexicographic data showed that in the classical Indian dictionaries extensive linguistic and cultural information was accumulated. This information has been frequently used in later works. Survey of the dictionaries demonstrated that in the framework of Indian classical linguistic and lexicographic tradition several methods and practices of lexicography were articulated and implemented into practice; parameters of various types of dictionaries were defined. Further enquiry into the history of the English language lexicography in India involves the survey of the dictionaries that documented the English language in India. The survey should be conducted in context with the linguistic situation of the time.