The Concept of "Simultaneous Feedback": Towards a New Methodology for Compiling Dictionaries

Abstract

Abstract: Good lexicographers are constantly striving to enhance the quality of their dictionaries. Since dictionaries are ultimately judged by their target users, there is an urgency to provide for the target users' needs. In order to determine such needs more accurately, it has become common practice to submit users of a dictionary to a series of tests to monitor their success in information rehieval. In most cases such feedback unfortunately comes too late so that it can at best be considered for. implementation in the next or revised edition of the dictionary. In this article it is argued that feedback from the target users should be obtained while the compilation of the dictionary is still in progress, a process referred to as "simultaneous feedback". This concept, which offers a new methodology for compiling dictionaries, overcomes the major problem 'of creating and publishing entire dictionaries before feedback from target users can be obtained. By this new methodology, the release of several small-scale parallel dictionaries triggers feedback that is immediately channelled to the compilation process of a main dictionary. As such, the target users constantly guide the compilers during the entire compilation process. After a theoretical presentation of the new concept, the feasibility of simultaneous feedback is illustrated with reference to the creation of a bilingual CiIuba-Dutch leamer's dictionary. It is shown how this main project has been successfully complemented by three parallel projects.Keywords: SIMULTANEOUS FEEDBACK, NEW METHOOOLOGY, MAIN DICTIONARY, PARALLEL DICTIONARIES, TARGET USERS' DESIRES, QUESTIONNAIRES, ELECTRONIC CORPORA, WORD-FREQUENCY STUDIES, CONCORDANCES, AFRICAN LANGUAGES, CILUBÀOpsomming: Die konsep van "gelyktydige terugvoering": Onderweg na Innuwe metodologie vir die samestelling van. woordeboeke. Goeie leksikograwestreef voortdurend daama om die gehalte van hul woordeboeke te verbeter. Aangesien woordeboeke uiteindelik deur hul teikengebruikers beoordeel word, is dit uiters noodsaaklik dat aangebruikersbehoeftes voldoen moet word. Ten einde sodanige behoeftes noukeuriger te kan bepaal, ,is dit algemeen gebruiklik dat woordeboekgebruikers aan 'n reeks toetse onderwerp word teneinde hulle sukses ten opsigte van inligtingsinwinning te kan bepaal. Ongelukkig kom sodanigeterugvoer in die meeste gevalle te laat deurdat dit slegs in die volgende of hersiene uitgawe van die~oordeboek in berekening gebring kan word. In hierdie artikel word betoog dat terugvoeringvanaf die teikengebruikers verkry moet word terwyl die sames telling van die woordeboek nog aan diegang is, 'n proses waama verwys word as "gelyktydige terugvoering". Hierdie konsep wat 'n nuwemetodologie vir woordeboekmaak bied, ornseil die kemprobleem van die voitooiing en publikasievan volledige woordeboeke alvorens terugvoer vanaf die teikengebruikers verkry kan word. Deurhierdie nuwe metodologie lei die vrystelling van verskillende kleiner parallelle woordeboeke totterugvoer wat oruniddellik in die samestellingsproses van die hoofwoordeboek gekanaliseer word.Sodoende ontvang die samestellers deurlopend riglyne vanaf die teikengebruikers gedurende dievolle duur van die samestellingsproses. Na 'n teoretiese uiteensetting van hierdie nuwe konsep,word die uitvoerbaarheid van gelyktydige terugvoering gei11ustreer met verwysing na dievoitooiing van 'n Ciluba-Nederlandse aanleerderswoordeboek. Oaar word aangetoon hoe hierdiehoofprojek deur drie parallelle projekte aangevul word.Sleutelwoorde: GELYKTYDIGE TERUGVOERING, NUWE METODOLOGIE, HOOFWOOROEBOEK,PARALLELLE WOORDEBOEKE, TEIKENGEBRUIKERS SE WENSE, VRAELYSTE, ELEKTRONIESE KORPUSSE, WOOROFREKWENSIESTUDIES, KONKOROANSIES," AFRIKA TALE, CILUBÀ