Abstract
For learners of Northern Sotho as a second or even foreign language, the copulative system is probably the most complicated grammatical system to master. The encoding needs of such learners, i.e. to find enough information in dictionaries in order to actively use copulatives in speech and writing, are poorly served in currently available dictionaries. The aim of this article is to offer solutions to the lemmatization problems regarding copulatives in Northern Sotho and to propose guiding entries for paper and electronic dictionaries which could serve as models for future dictionaries. It will be illustrated that the maximum utilisation of macrostructural and microstructural strategies as well as the mediostructure is called for in order to reach this objective. Prerequisites will be to reconstruct the entire copulative system in a user-friendly way, to abstract the rules governing the use of copulatives and to isolate the appropriate lemmas. The treatment of copulatives in Northern Sotho dictionaries will also be critically evaluated, especially in terms of frequency of use and target users' needs. Keywords: lexicography, lemmatization, copulatives, information retrieval, access structure, electronic dictionary, macrostructure, microstructure, cross-referencing, mediostructure, dictionary, African languages
Highlights
From a learner's point of view, the copulative in Northern Sotho is probably the most complicated grammatical system to master
One of the major advantages of such entries in electronic dictionaries is that the gap between dictionary and grammar, which is generally believed to be 'unbridgeable', is starting to close, as suggested by Geeraerts (2000: 77): In this way, the differences between dictionary and grammar begin to diminish: the dictionary entries are linked to a grammatical description of the language that offers more detail than the grammatical compendium that is sometimes included with paper dictionaries
Compiling user-friendly dictionaries of a high lexicographic standard for African languages poses a great challenge to prospective lexicographers
Summary
From a learner's point of view, the copulative in Northern Sotho is probably the most complicated grammatical system to master. The lemmatization of copulatives in modern dictionaries cannot be described without focusing on the so-called user-perspective which has emerged as an all important criterion in the selection and lexicographical treatment of lexical items. (See Gouws and Prinsloo 1998: 19 for a detailed discussion.) Of particular importance for copulatives are the socalled external reference addresses where the cross-reference exceeds the boundaries of the article, referring the user from the central text to the back matter or even to an external source such as a grammar book It will be argued, the entire route of information retrieval, from the outer access structure right up to one (or more) external reference address(es), should entail a comprehensive and logical build-up of information for the user. These relations are expressed between monna 'man' and morutiši 'teacher' or bohlale 'wisdom' or mpša 'dog' in Table 1, A–C respectively
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