Principles and practice of cross-referencing in paper and electronic dictionaries with specific reference to African languages

Abstract

In the first section of this article, the basic principles and practices of cross-referencing are discussed mainly in reference to paper dictionaries. This is followed by a section on cross-referencing in electronic dictionaries. Although the principles underlying cross-references in paper and electronic dictionaries are the same, many, more sophisticated options, which the authors call 'true electronic features', are available to the lexicographer in the computer era. Cross-references are used on a much larger scale in electronic dictionaries since almost every word or element in a dictionary article can be cross-referenced to an address where the user can find more information. Cross-referencing in electronic dictionaries largely revolve around multiple uses of hyperlinking. In the final section, cross-referencing, or the lack thereof, will be discussed for African language dictionaries. Typical instances where cross-references are required in dictionaries for these languages will be outlined and the compilation of model entries will be attempted.