Log files can and should be prepared for a functionalistic approach

H Bergenholtz,M Johnsen

doi:10.4314/lex.v17i1.51518

Abstract

User surveys of printed dictionaries may be characterised as non-representative and non-realistic laboratory tests, often with retrospective questions based on memory. Log file analy-ses concerning the use of Internet dictionaries, on the other hand, are based on large numbers of users and look-ups. However, log file analyses have also been characterised by a juggling of num-bers based on data calculations of limited direct relevance to practical and theoretical lexicography. This article proposes the development of lexicographically relevant log files for the use in log file analyses in order to give a true picture of how and why different dictionaries are employed for different purposes Keywords: lexicography, log files, dictionary, internet dictionary, search options, dictionary function, reception, text production, trans-lation, communicative function, cognitive function, dictionary use, user survey, lemma, dictionary item, user needs

Highlights

Opsomming: Loglêers kan en behoort voorberei te word vir 'n funksionalistiese benadering
The focus has shifted from being mainly on the dictionary itself and the compilation thereof to the dictionary user — what does the user expect from the dictionary, and how do lexicographers best cater for the users' needs? This is one of the pivotal issues in the lexicographic debate and one that may be addressed through the use of the new technological possibilities
The log files for the Danish Phraseological Dictionary will be different from lemma-oriented log files, and the initial results and implications of the strategy are described in sections 5 and 6 of this article

Summary

Better Dictionaries through the Use of Log Files

The last decade has seen an explosive growth in the number of available online dictionaries. De Schryver et al (2006) mention another issue concerning lemmatisation which is specific to Swahili and other inflecting languages: the question of whether to include only word stems as is the common practice in Western lexicography, or whether to include full word forms on the basis of a corpus In this connection, Bergenholtz and Johnsen (2005) are criticised for being naïve in conducting their log file analysis on the basis of lemma strings only and not taking this issue into account. It should be noted, that the Danish Internet Dictionary allows searches for morphemes, inflected forms of a lemma and random parts of words, and the various search options occur from the log files. The log files for the Danish Phraseological Dictionary will be different from lemma-oriented log files, and the initial results and implications of the strategy are described in sections 5 and 6 of this article

Comparative Surveys and the Status of the Lemma

User Surveys

Suggested Structure of Log Files for Internet Dictionaries

Findings

First Experiments with Function-oriented Log Files