The presentation of information in bilingual online dictionaries: The case of culture-specific phraseological units

Abstract

Abstract Language and culture are closely connected, which is clearly reflected in many phraseological units (PUs). PUs are rarely used outside the language community in which they developed, thus causing comprehension problems to non-native speakers on account of their cultural specificity. That is why dictionaries should include cultural information to enable the users to learn about the cultural background of PUs. In online bilingual phraseological dictionaries, this type of information is of secondary importance if compared with dictionary equivalents, which are of primary importance. The aim of this article is to discuss types of additional information regarded as being of secondary importance and accessible by clicking on extra buttons, the focus being on the presentation of the cultural component. The language pair of sample entries illustrating the use of extra buttons is English and Slovenian, but the same principle could be employed in other language pairs with the necessary language-specific modifications and adaptations.