Die teenstellingsdefinisie in Afrikaanse verklarende woordeboeke

Abstract

<b>The Contrastive Definition in Afrikaans Explanatory Dictionaries</b>This paper deals with the contrastive definition which is readily applied in Afrikaans standard explanatory dictionaries to define the female member of a gender opposition pair. The aim of the paper is to determine whether the contrastive definition is a full lexicographic definition, and whether its application is lexicographically justifiable. The terms <i>gender opposition</i>, <i>gender opposition pairs</i>, <i>male and female members of gender opposition pairs</i> and <i>contrastive definition</i> are explained at the outset. Arguments in favour of the application of the contrastive definition found in Afrikaans metalexicographic literature, are presented, followed by arguments opposing its use. The absence of an evaluation of the contrastive definition as lexicographic definition is confirmed, and such an evaluation, based on further research into the use of the contrastive definition in the <i>Verklarende Handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal</i>, is consequently presented. The implications of the use of the contrastive definition in terms of current lexicographic conventions and the employment of a model in terms of which lexicographic definitions can be classified, lead to the conclusion that the contrastive definition cannot be regarded as a lexicographic definition. Comparable defining strategies in non-Afrikaans dictionaries are briefly highlighted, followed by proposals for the alternative treatment of (female members of) morphologically marked gender opposition pairs.<b>Keywords:</b> contrastive definition; cross reference; female members; gender opposition; gender opposition pairs; lexicographer; lexicographic treatment; lexicographic definition; male members; morphologically marked gender opposition pairs; reference; semantic and syntactic information; semantic explanation; standard explanatory dictionary