Abstract
Users of bilingual dictionaries often have problems to choose the correct translation equivalent for a given occurrence of the source language form. This could be due to a lack of entries indicating the relevant context and cotext of the translation equivalents. This paper deals with different types of equivalent relations in bilingual dictionaries and the varying need for entries to support the translation equivalents. It is argued that where a relation of semantic divergence prevails the inclusion of context and cotext entries are of extreme importance. The function of a dictionary should determine the nature and extent of the supporting entries. Lexicographers should be well aware of the additional need for context and cotext entries in the treatment of synsemantic words. Consequently they have to negotiate the problems resulting from under addressing, over addressing and zero addressing. It is suggested that procedures of addressing equivalence can help to ensure equivalent discrimination.
Highlights
Users of bilingual dictionaries often have problems to choose the correct translation equivalent for a given occurrence of the source language form
Equivalent relations in bilingual dictionaries The translation equivalent paradigm, i.e. all the translation equivalents entered in the comment on semantics of an article in a translation dictionary, can be regarded as the most salient data category in such a dictionary
18-02-2002, 09:08 paradigm, is known as an equivalent relation and different types of equivalent relations can be identified in translation dictionaries
Summary
An equivalent relation of congruence is characterised by a one-to-one relation on lexical, pragmatic and semantic level. The lexicographer may never rely on the intuition of the target user to ensure a successful dictionary consultation procedure, the lexicographer has to abstain from data redundancy and may utilise a system where the absence of supporting or complementing items imply the lack of a need for an additional data presentation This convention has to be explained in the text containing the users’ guidelines so that the user can correctly interpret the absence of certain data categories in an article. A lexicographic approach characterised by the utilisation of non-lemmatic addressing procedures can promote translation equivalents to secondary treatment units which function e.g. as address entries of items entered for contextual and cotextual guidance. Of extreme importance that the implications of the data distribution structure have to be explicated in the text containing the users’ guidelines
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