The Concept of Lexicographic Condensation: A Review of and Perspectives on Digital Lexicography

Abstract

This study focuses on the concept of lexicographic textual condensation in order to determine its role in digital lexicography. Current interpretations of this concept, which was origi­nally coined for printed dictionaries, are analysed. Special emphasis is placed on the relevant dif­ferentiation between the various textual levels in which the content of these works are distributed and on the difference between pri­mary and secondary condensation. Examples from English–Spanish digital dictionaries will be explored in order to answer the question of how condensation is pre­sented in these works and what types of components or items are particularly affected by it. Finally, meaning of condensation forms in cur­rent dictionaries based on the reading approaches applied to reference works is dis­cussed. We support the argument that these forms are intrinsic to the type of text that we call a dictionary, and that the reasons behind condensation mechanisms are not limited to mere spatial constraints, but that these, together with other formal aspects, can make it easier to find the desired answers through a nonlinear reading process that is generally and legitimately applied to diction­aries. Keywords: digital lexicography, printed lexicography, lexicographic textual condensation, theory of the form of dictionaries, primary lexi­co­graphic condensation, secondary lexicographic condensation, bilingual English–Spanish lexicography, microstructure, referencing, natural lan­guages