Word in the Dictionary and Discourse (a Case Study of German Language Vocabulary)

Abstract

The article explores the functioning of usual words and neologisms in the German-language print media discourse as well as in mono- and bilingual dictionaries. Particular attention is given to the lexicographic and contextual translation of the lexemes and the problem of lexicographic underrepresentation of mass media vocabulary. The methods applied include semantic, contextual, discourse and corpus analysis. The article provides examples of potential lexical difficulties which may be faced by a translator or a speaker of German as a foreign language. The academic novelty of the research is due to the unique lexical material presented in the article, which is either absent in dictionaries or has an incomplete lexicographic explication or translation. The translation of these lexemes should not be verbatim and literal, as the translator must take into account extralinguistic realities, linguistic and cultural aspects of word semantics and that of a particular discourse type, collocation and usage of lexemes in the original and the target language. For instance, the translation of international terms is often reduced to loan translations (calques) that require an explanation or translation commentary. The article concludes that there is a need for linguistic, linguacultural and extralinguistic analysis, which has to be conducted by a translator or a reader of a text in a foreign language. The data obtained by the research can be used in translation, lexicographic and teaching activities.