'n Prototipe-aanlyn Afrikaanse akademiese redigeerwoordeboek

Abstract

A Prototype Afrikaans Online Dictionary for Academic Editing Purposes. The academic writing and research skills of postgraduate students at higher education institutions in the South African context are inadequate (Van Aswegen 2007: 1141), and therefore there is a growing demand for the services of editors of specifically academic texts. The editors of Afrikaans academic texts, however, experience problems in terms of reference sources (style guides or standardisation sources) that they can use to ensure consistency in the academic texts. Consequently, these editors have a need for an Afrikaans dictionary that is specially aimed at the needs of academic editors (Blom 2020: 18). A model for the design of an Afrikaans online dictionary for academic editing purposes (Blom's 2018 dictionary model) was set up as the first part of a larger project that aims to compile a complete online Afrikaans academic editing dictionary. In order to implement Blom's 2018 dictionary model to compile a complete dictionary, a prototype dictionary must be developed and then tested by its target users (i.e. academic editors). In this article the principles of the function theory (Fuertes-Olivera and Tarp 2014), Gouws' (2014a; 2014b; 2018a; 2018b; 2018c; 2018d) adaptations of the general lexicography theory and usability theories (ISO-standard 9241 (1998a)(1998b)(2006)) were used to compile the said prototype Afrikaans academic editing dictionary. This integrated theory enables the compilation of a user-friendly prototype dictionary that will be evaluated through repeated usability testing with the end or target users as test participants in a follow-up study. Keywords: dictionary compilation, academic editing dictionary, prototype dictionary, electronic lexicography, function theory, general lexicography theory, usability theories, integrated theory