Lexikos

The Need for a National Terminology Policy for South Africa

2025-03-06T07:39:26+00:00

The language policy of a country has an influence on terminology development while it also determines the status of a language and the number of languages to be developed. Although several international and national terminology policies are readily available terminology work is currently not practised in South Africa according to a national terminology policy. The point of departure in terminology work is always conceptual. It is, therefore, important to work according to a subject-oriented terminography approach to harvest terminology. This approach is usually used simultaneously, and in conjunction with other approaches, such as language planning-oriented, translation-oriented, linguistic community-oriented, process-oriented, functional, and interactive approaches to develop the official languages of South Africa. The hegemony of English, however, hampers terminology development in the other official languages. There is a lack of coordination and cooperation among terminology agencies which lead to duplication of projects. The national terminology office, i.e. the Terminology Coordination Section (TCS), National Language Service, Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, is the main beneficiary of a national terminology policy, and it should provide guidelines to other terminology agencies. Terminology policies and the need for a national terminology policy for South Africa are described and the eventual roadmap for the acceptance of the national terminology policy recently drafted, is supplied. A national terminology policy could assist in promoting the official, provincial, and local languages to become functional languages in all spheres of human activity.

Keywords: bilingual, copyright, language for special purposes, language planning-oriented terminography approach, linguistic community-oriented terminography approach, multilingual, policy, polythematic, register, subject-oriented terminography approach, term bank, terminography, terminology, translation-oriented terminography approach

Analyse des Termes Émergents en Épidémiologie Post-COVID-19

2025-03-19T05:45:35+00:00

Post-COVID-19 Review of Epidemiological Terms and Their Multidisciplinary Implications.

Several dictionaries and terminological databases have updated numerous definitions of terms related to the field of epidemiology following the COVID-19 crisis, for instance, definitions of terms like "pandemic," "epidemic," and "endemic." This adaptation is the result of a modification in the conceptual framework of the studied domain. Furthermore, it was necessary to coin lexemes expressing new concepts to engage society in addressing public health crises. These terms have become commonplace in response to emergencies, especially when the entire world closely follows epidemiology-related information. In this work, we analyze the existing terminology in epidemiology. The comprehensive results have revealed that epidemiological terminology has evolved across various specialized fields such as medicine, psychology, informatics, as well as law, security, and ancient diseases.

Keywords: epidemiology, terminology, concept, terminological system, post covid-19

Digital Lexicography in ESP: Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension in Students of Commerce Degree

2025-04-24T09:26:53+00:00

This study investigates the impact of Sketch Engine and Lexonomy on vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), focusing on international commerce among undergraduate students. Conducted over thirteen weeks, the research involved 90 first-year Commerce students from a public university in Madrid. A pre-experimental design was implemented, dividing participants into control and experimental groups. The control group used traditional analogue dictionaries, while the experimental group utilized digital tools to compile specialized dictionaries. Performance was assessed through pre- and post-intervention reading comprehension tests and a questionnaire assessed the use of lexicographical resources by ESP undergraduate students. On the one hand, results revealed that the use of these two lexicographical digital tools implies significant improvements regarding vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. On the other hand, digital tools emerged as the preferred resources, emphasizing translation, contextual meaning, and voice search functionalities, though challenges such as navigation difficulties and interpreting phonetic transcriptions were noted. The findings underscore the pedagogical potential of digital lexicography to enhance ESP instruction, foster autonomous learning, and equip students with essential professional skills. This research provides a foundation for integrating innovative methodologies into higher education, contributing to more effective and equitable teaching practices.

Keywords: Sketch Engine, Lexonomy, didactic lexicography, English for Specific Purposes, reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition

A Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of AI Chatbots and Dictionary Apps for Lexical Tasks and Retention

2025-05-06T08:14:27+00:00

This study compared an AI chatbot (Kimi) and a bilingual dictionary app (NCD) in supporting vocabulary tasks among Chinese junior English majors. Sixty-six participants used either Kimi or NCD to complete both receptive and productive lexical tasks. Questionnaires gathered user feedback on tool use, and a surprise retention test assessed long-term vocabulary retention one week later. Results showed that Kimi significantly outperformed NCD in vocabulary comprehension, collocation production, and productive knowledge retention. Additionally, Kimi demonstrated more consistent performance than NCD across all test items, highlighting its reliability. The study underscores the potential of AI chatbots to address language-related queries and enhance vocabulary acquisition. It also advocates for aligning technological advancements with pedagogical goals to optimize language learning tools and create a sustainable learning environment.

Keywords: AI chatbot, dictionary app, vocabulary reception, collocation production, retention

La Lexicographie Scolaire comme Fondement de la Lexicographie Moderne au Gabon

2025-05-28T09:54:42+00:00

School Lexicography as the Foundation of Modern Lexicography in Gabon.

There is a close connection between lexicographic resources and the standardization process of languages for which reliable data is available. School lexicography thus plays an essential role in the standardization of French. With reference to the French model, we show the need to prioritize school lexicography as a foundation of modern lexicography of the local languages in Gabon. The process of standardization of local languages will be the corollary. Bilingual school dictionaries of French and these local languages constitute the type of work to be compiled in this priority order. This article refers exclusively to Boulanger (2006) who demonstrated the essential role of school lexicography in the standardization process of French.

Keywords: bilingual school dictionaries, former lexicography, modern lexicography, school lexicography, standardization

Avoiding Information Overload — Ways of Exemplifying in Bilingual e-Dictionaries Depending on the Systematicity of the Linguistic Data

2025-05-06T08:15:47+00:00

Although monolingual dictionaries have received more academic attention, bilingual dictionaries are essential for learners at all levels. Today's electronic dictionaries for language learning have no space limitations, so the information they offer can be exhaustive. This brings with it the risk of information overload — users may feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to find the information they are looking for. E-dictionary editors must therefore balance comprehensiveness with usability and decide which linguistic data to present. Since examples are the entry component that takes up the most space, several types of examples are considered, and the systematicity of the information to be presented is the criterion for adopting specific lexicographic solutions. Research shows that shorter examples, such as infinitive phrases, support generalisable patterns, while full sentences and supplementary examples highlight more complex, unpredictable uses. This article proposes an innovative type of example, the translated cotext item, to help users infer usage rules. Ultimately, the study emphasises that dictionaries should help learners to intuitively distinguish predictable structures from language-specific expressions, thereby enhancing their ability to use the target language idiomatically.

Keywords: information overload, usability, electronic bilingual lexicography, entry components, dictionary example, language systematicity

Traitement des Verbes Auxiliaires Modaux Polysémiques dans le Dictionnaire Chinois–Français Basé sur le Prototype et le Schéma

2025-05-29T09:17:02+00:00

Treatment of Polysemous Modal Auxiliary Verbs in Chinese–French Dictionary Based on Prototype and Schema.

Based on the theories of prototype and schema, this paper constructs a suitable processing framework for polysemous modal auxiliary verbs in Chinese–French dictionary according to characteristics of modal auxiliary verbs, and elaborates specific improvement measures from the following three aspects: (1) prototypical annotation of word class, i.e., labelling the most typical cases with 动 [aux. modal] and adding word class properties; (2) selection and arrangement of the senses, equivalents and examples based on prototype and schema, i.e., gradually extending senses, equivalents and examples around modal type; (3) discrimination within the prototype category, i.e., strengthening the synonym discrimination within the same lexical category through boxes and other forms. Finally, the optimised cases presented at the end of the paper.

Keywords: prototype, schema, polysemous modal auxiliary verbs, Chinese–French dictionary, learner's dictionary

Introduction to the Special Section of Papers from the 6th GLOBALEX Workshop on Lexicography and Neology

2025-06-10T07:43:09+00:00

Introduction to the Special Section of Papers from the 6th GLOBALEX Workshop on Lexicography and Neology

Lexicography and Neology: Building Bridges through a Multilingual Approach with ENEOLI

2025-06-11T06:22:15+00:00

Neology, the study of new word formations and new word meanings, remains an underrepresented yet critical dimension of linguistic research. This paper explores the efforts of the European Network on Lexical Innovation (ENEOLI) COST Action, launched in October 2023, in addressing key gaps in the study of lexical innovation in connection with lexicography. With 343 participants from 51 countries as of March 2025, ENEOLI seeks to build a comprehensive, multilingual approach to neology research. This initiative focuses on developing digital resources, comparative studies, and professional training to elevate the understanding of neology within the linguistic community, including the development of a multilingual glossary of the meta-terminology of neology. By integrating lexicographic and computational methodologies, ENEOLI sets a benchmark for multilingual research. This initiative not only contributes to a deeper understanding of neology but also provides resources that support its application across diverse academic and professional contexts, including translation, education, and digital humanities. Through its collaborative framework, ENEOLI highlights the significance of lexical innovation in understanding language evolution and its cultural and social dimensions.

Keywords: ENEOLI, neology, lexicography, lexical innovation, language change, multilingual glossary, terminology

Neologisms and Their Functions in Critical Discourse

2025-06-10T07:49:15+00:00

The contributions of new words to the construction of a discourse are understood as discourse functions. For example, neologisms introduce new ways of thinking by embodying novel conceptual knowledge and influencing collective thought processes. They play a crucial role in distinguishing emerging social practices by clarifying vague concepts and laying the groundwork for further lexical innovation, such as through word formation. Within crisis-related discourse, neologisms become fundamental in shaping linguistic reality, acting as pivotal nodes within a structured network. They have the potential to expose ideological content and cultural values, as these terms can highlight key issues in debates. Terms such as Cancel Culture, Wokeness, and Greenflation capture a range of views and beliefs in societal dialogues across ideological, cultural, and political spectrums. However, when neologisms are documented lexicographically, their roles in discourse are not specified. This paper demonstrates how the key discourse aspects highlighted by new vocabulary are systematically documented in a recently developed German neologism dictionary. Clearly, the novel resource seeks to transcend the constraints of previous lexicographical methods by adopting specific elements of discourse lexicography (Kämper 2006: 350). This paper also explores whether new methods can be utilised for such an endeavour.

Keywords: neologism resource, discourse lexicography, critical discourse analysis, discourse patterns, discourse functions, word embedding

The Role of Combining Forms in Creating New English Compounds: Data-Driven and Construction Approaches

2025-06-10T07:51:29+00:00

This paper explores the role of combining forms (CFs) in the formation of new compounds in contemporary English and examines their productivity and underlying mechanisms. This study applies the data-driven and construction approaches to investigate 11 neoclassical and native CFs, utilising both dictionaries and corpora when employing the data-driven approach. This paper culls new compounds from the Oxford English Dictionary and three neologism dictionaries. The three main findings are as follows: Firstly, the 11 CFs used in forming new compounds can be classified as highly productive, moderately productive, or low in productivity. Secondly, the construction morphology (CxM) can be used to analyse the formational mechanisms of new compounds. According to CxM, the CF compounds are abstracted as hierarchical schemas that are form–meaning pairs. The compounds exhibit syntactic and semantic constraints on their formation. Thirdly, the status of neologisms as compounds, blends or derivatives is scrutinised, along with their treatment in dictionaries. This study provides insights into the ongoing evolution of compounding in present-day English and discusses the role of CFs in lexical innovation.

Keywords: combining forms, new English compounds, data-driven approach, construction morphology, productivity, formational mechanism

Semantic Verbal Neology in Spanish Dictionaries: Case Study of the Lexicographic Representation of anestesiar and coreografiar

2025-06-10T07:54:30+00:00

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the lexicographic treatment of semantic verbal neologisms in Spanish general dictionaries. Although semantic neology is a highly productive mechanism for vocabulary production, semantic neologisms seem to pose particular challenges for their inclusion in dictionaries but also in their representation, given the difficulty in detecting them. These difficulties seem to be related to the fact that a semantic neologism can be the result of a variety of changes in their primary meaning, which entails establishing different relationships with the related primary sense in a general dictionary entry or compensating for the absence of that original sense in dictionaries of neologisms. In this study, the focus is on two verbs, anestesiar and coreografiar, that have been recorded as semantic neologisms in the Observatori de Neologia databank BOBNEO. In both cases, their lexicographic relevance is shown quantitatively (based on data from corpora such as CORDE, CORPES, and Spanish Web 2023) and qualitatively, using the Theory of Norms and Exploitations (Hanks 2013). The analysis then focuses on how they are dictionarised in two widely used general online dictionaries, namely the Diccionario de la lengua española and the Diccionario del español actual. The conclusion is that both verbs are under- or misrepresented and possible actions are suggested to correct this situation both in general dictionaries and dictionaries of neologisms.

Keywords: semantic neology, verbs, lexicographic representation, Spanish lexicography, general dictionaries, dictionaries of neologisms, figurative meaning, polysemy

Digging for -ings: A Survey of Selected (Pseudo)-Anglicisms in Dictionaries of Modern Greek

2025-06-10T07:56:07+00:00

Anglicisms, a type of lexical borrowing, occur when a language incorporates English lexical items into its vocabulary, either verbatim or transliterated. Pseudo-Anglicisms are also notable; these appear English due to their form but are not genuinely English. This paper examines the inclusion and treatment of Anglicisms and pseudo-Anglicisms in Modern Greek dictionaries, focusing on nouns that end in -ing, a suffix typical of English morphology. The methodology involves a macrostructural comparison of five Greek dictionaries to assess their inclusiveness in addressing this phenomenon. The microstructural analysis investigates the presence of Greek equivalents within the dictionaries. Findings are cross-checked against a corpus to determine which alternatives Greek native speakers are more familiar with. Additionally, the research explores elements such as the domains, and styles of the identified lexical items to reveal trends in their coinage and usage.

Keywords: neology, neologisms, Anglicisms, pseudo-Anglicisms, lexical borrowing, Greek lexicography, Greek dictionaries, critical lexicography

Semi-Automatic Detection of New Words in Modern Georgian

2025-06-10T07:57:52+00:00

The study of neologisms in the Georgian language has gained significance due to the rapid socio-political changes in the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the country regaining independence. Technological advancements of the 21st century have also played a role. These developments have led to the introduction of numerous new terms and concepts into the language. However, there has been no established methodology for identifying neologisms in modern Georgian. To address this issue, a methodology was worked out at Ilia State University based on the study of existing methods applied to other languages. A corpus of the Georgian language was developed from textual materials retrieved from online platforms such as online newspapers and magazines, online media websites, websites of non-governmental organisations, and governmental agencies. Two lemmatisation tools were then applied to it to identify potential neologisms. This paper presents the methodology for the semi-automatic detection of new words in modern Georgian.

Keywords: neologism, Georgian language corpus, lemmatiser, out-of-vocabulary lexis, neologism detection methodology

Detection and Description of Neologisms in Korean Lexicography: Methodological Issues in Corpus Balance, Word Unit Bias and LLM Assistance

2025-06-10T08:04:17+00:00

This study explores the potential application of large language models (LLMs) in Korean neologism extraction and dictionary compilation while critically examining the limitations of existing methods, including the bias toward news-oriented data and morphological neologisms. By analysing data from news corpora alongside messenger and online post corpora, the study identifies significant limitations in current news-centred approaches, particularly in detecting the first occurrences and extracting neologisms related to everyday topics. Experimental results involving LLMs demonstrate their potential to address the limitations of news-biased neologism extraction by suggesting unregistered words from diverse web-based contexts. However, issues such as duplication and overgeneration persist. In tasks involving semantic neologism recommendation and dictionary microstructure creation, LLMs performed relatively well with high-frequency and news-biased topics when provided with additional contextual prompts, yet revealed limitations with low-frequency and non-news-biased neologisms. These findings suggest that the performance of current LLMs heavily relies on the diversity of training data and user-provided contextual information. The results of this study underscore the need for further investigation into the critical challenges in neologism research, lexicography, and corpus linguistics, as well as the role lexicography might play in enhancing the performance of LLMs.

Keywords: lexicography, neologisms, unregistered words, news corpus, semantic neologism, representativeness, balance, lexicographic data, macrostructure, large language models

Krajšavar — An Algorithm for Automatic Recognition of Abbreviations in English Dictionary Entries Compiled in a Dictionary of Abbreviations

2025-04-24T09:28:48+00:00

This article describes the use of Krajšavar — an algorithm for the automatic recognition of abbreviations in compiling English dictionary entries for a dictionary of abbreviations (Slovar krajšav), published in 2025 and financed by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS). Together with the Slovenian dictionary of abbreviations (Slovenski slovar krajšav) published in 2023, the mentioned dictionary adopts a pioneering approach to the compilation of dictionaries in Slovenia as these are the first contemporary dictionaries of abbreviations. The Slovar krajšav was compiled based on an analysis of the characteristics of English dictionary entries for abbreviations, and according to the characteristics of the compilation methods used for bilingual dictionaries. The dictionary of abbreviations includes entries in 22 languages, with the most frequent being English, Italian and French. In this article the focus is on compiling English dictionary entries and using the Krajšavar algorithm.

Keywords: abbreviations, English, dictionary, algorithm, dictionary of abbreviations, languages, Krajšavar

LEXICC: The Design and Development of an Online Dictionary Writing System

2025-03-19T07:45:48+00:00

The Instituto Caro y Cuervo (Caro and Cuervo Institute, ICC) was initially founded to complete Rufino José Cuervo's Diccionario de Construcción y Régimen (Dictionary of Construction and Usage) (Cuervo and ICC 1998) and has since expanded its mission to include the research and promotion of Colombia's linguistic heritage. Following this lexicographic tradition, the Institute developed the Diccionario de Colombianismos (Dictionary of Colombianisms, DiCol) (ICC 2018) using the proprietary software TshwaneLex, which facilitated the production of its print version but created a dependency on third-party resources, the need for a more flexible and independent solution became apparent. In response, this report introduces LEXICC — Diccionarios y Lenguajes (Dictionaries and Languages, LEXICC), a new, tailored online Dictionary Writing System (DWS) developed from scratch as an open-source solution. LEXICC empowers researchers, linguists, lexicographers, and anyone interested in dictionaries to create and manage their lexicographic resources separately. This paper details the design and development process of LEXICC, highlights its main functionalities, and discusses the electronic adaptation of the DiCol, now accessible online through LEXICC.

Keywords: electronic dictionaries, dictionary writing system, Colombian Spanish, Caro and Cuervo Institute, Dictionary of Colombianisms, non-functional requirements, functional requirements, demo dictionary, lexicographer director

The Serbian–Russian and Russian–Serbian Idiomatic Dictionary for Expressing Emotions: Theoretical and Practical Aspects

2025-05-28T09:56:57+00:00

This article presents the development of the Serbian–Russian and Russian–Serbian Dictionary of Emotion-Expressing Idioms (SRIDE). The project aims to systematise idioms that convey emotional expression in Serbian and Russian, taking into account their cultural, linguistic, and cognitive aspects. The author designs a specialised dictionary based on data from the Serbian web corpus (srWaC) and the Russian National Corpus (RNC), compiled at the Department of Russian Language and Literature at the University of Montenegro. Material collection has been ongoing since 2020, with the phraseological database continuously expanding. The methodological foundation of the study is a comprehensive analysis of existing monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, which has identified key challenges, such as idiom polysemy and equivalence issues. The project employs a thematic classification of material based on twelve basic emotions defined by Izard's model. Each dictionary entry is meticulously structured, including a thematic heading, adaptive index, transcription, grammatical information, definition, usage examples, etymological notes, equivalents, and antonyms. The implementation of the OnLex electronic platform enhances functionality, offering multimedia storage and automated search capabilities. The findings demonstrate that integrating traditional lexicographic methods with modern technologies enables the creation of a reliable tool for cross-cultural analysis, language teaching, and translation, catering to the needs of linguists, translators, educators, and students.

Keywords: equivalence, emotions, bilingual dictionaries, Serbian–Russian idioms, corpus analysis, comparative lexicography, multi-aspect classification

The Effectiveness of the "Real-Life-Based School Dictionary" as an Electronic Dictionary

2025-04-24T09:32:50+00:00

The Real-Life-Based School Dictionary (GYTOS) is designed to include the general vocabulary, terms, collocations, idioms, proverbs, synonyms and antonyms of Turkish for primary and secondary school students who are the target audience with monolingual, virtual and code generation and decoding functions. The corpus linguistics method was used in the creation phase of the dictionary and all lemmas were identified and structured on a real-life basis through the created corpus (https://okulsozlugum.com/).

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of GYTOS on the vocabulary development of primary and secondary school students. For this purpose, the students' level of experience in using the dictionary was first determined. Then, an achievement test was administered to students who used the dictionary and students who did not use the dictionary to statistically determine the effect of GYTOS on students' vocabulary development.

In the study, a 13-question questionnaire was used to determine students' experience of using GYTOS and it was found that they found GYTOS to be highly adequate. Furthermore, students stated that GYTOS was an easy-to-use and accessible resource. As a result of the achievement test, it was found that the scores of two different groups of students at the same level and with the same number of users of GYTOS from the same achievement test showed a statistically significant difference.

Keywords: Real-Life-Based School Dictionary, effectiveness, school dictionary, language skills

An Analysis of Word-Formation Processes in Neologisms: A Case Study of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

2025-03-06T07:39:26+00:00

The swift progress of technology and globalization has given rise to an abundance of fresh ideas, sparking the frequent generation of neologisms. This study examines 932 newly added entries in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary from March 2020 to March 2024, investigating their word formation and features. Besides common processes like compounding, derivation, abbreviation, conversion, and blending, the OALD has included new words formed through less conventional methods like eponymy, onomatopoeia, and variation. Compound nouns mainly consist of two nouns in open compound words, while derivatives are often created through suffixation, and abbreviations are primarily uppercase initialisms. Most converted words are verbs, shifted from nouns. Among blends, the noun usually dominates, with the first word often clipped. And the study reveals diverse origins for new words, with loanwords playing a significant role, and a tendency towards simplicity emerges over time. Researching the word-formation of English neologisms is vital for lexicography because it helps ensure dictionaries accurately reflect language evolution. By understanding how neologisms are formed, lexicographers can effectively document and categorize emerging words, while also aiding vocabulary acquisition by highlighting patterns that enhance learning and usage.

Keywords: neologism, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, quantitative method, qualitative method, word-formation, feature, inclusion

Prompts for Language Learners: A Practical Guide to Using DeepSeek as a Dictionary

2025-06-04T06:17:30+00:00

Nowadays, AI models are capable of generating lexicographic content that is as good as that produced by traditional dictionaries. Meanwhile, using different prompts can return disparate results. Considering this, this article tests several prompts to demonstrate to language learners how to use a generative AI model as a dictionary. From a practical point of view, learners should improve their prompt crafting and fine-tuning skills in order to obtain well-reasoned and well-structured outputs from AI.

Keywords: generative AI, language model, DeepSeek, learner's dictionary, lexicographic productivity, prompt engineering

Reinhard R.K. Hartmann 1938 – 2024

2025-03-06T07:39:26+00:00

Tribute to Reinhard R.K. Hartmann (1938 – 2024).

Edward Finegan and Michael Adams. The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary.

2025-03-06T07:39:26+00:00

Review of Edward Finegan and Michael Adams. The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary.

Yongwei Gao. A Dictionary of Contemporary English Neologisms and Trendy Words.

2025-05-06T08:17:57+00:00

Review of Yongwei Gao. A Dictionary of Contemporary English Neologisms and Trendy Words.

Du Ruiqing and Jiang Yajun. New Century Chinese–English Dictionary.

2025-03-06T07:39:26+00:00

Review of Du Ruiqing and Jiang Yajun. New Century Chinese–English Dictionary.

Stephen Turton. Before the Word was Queer: Sexuality and the English Dictionary, 1600–1930.

2025-03-07T06:36:41+00:00

Review of Stephen Turton. Before the Word was Queer: Sexuality and the English Dictionary, 1600–1930.