Linguistics and Bilingual Dictionaries

Linguistics and Bilingual Dictionaries
Author: Ali M. Al Kasimi
Publisher: Brill Archive
Total Pages: 148
Release: 1983
Genre: Encyclopedias and dictionaries
ISBN: 9789004071049

This book gives an account of the linguistic principles that should govern the production of better bilingual dictionaries and is intended for linguists, lexicographers, librarians, and foreign language teachers. -- from Preface ([p. 9] from cover).

The Way of the Linguist

The Way of the Linguist
Author: Steve Kaufmann
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2005-11
Genre: Linguistics
ISBN: 1420873296

The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey. It is now a cliché that the world is a smaller place. We think nothing of jumping on a plane to travel to another country or continent. The most exotic locations are now destinations for mass tourism. Small business people are dealing across frontiers and language barriers like never before. The Internet brings different languages and cultures to our finger-tips. English, the hybrid language of an island at the western extremity of Europe seems to have an unrivalled position as an international medium of communication. But historically periods of cultural and economic domination have never lasted forever. Do we not lose something by relying on the wide spread use of English rather than discovering other languages and cultures? As citizens of this shrunken world, would we not be better off if we were able to speak a few languages other than our own? The answer is obviously yes. Certainly Steve Kaufmann thinks so, and in his busy life as a diplomat and businessman he managed to learn to speak nine languages fluently and observe first hand some of the dominant cultures of Europe and Asia. Why do not more people do the same? In his book The Way of The Linguist, A language learning odyssey, Steve offers some answers. Steve feels anyone can learn a language if they want to. He points out some of the obstacles that hold people back. Drawing on his adventures in Europe and Asia, as a student and businessman, he describes the rewards that come from knowing languages. He relates his evolution as a language learner, abroad and back in his native Canada and explains the kind of attitude that will enable others to achieve second language fluency. Many people have taken on the challenge of language learning but have been frustrated by their lack of success. This book offers detailed advice on the kind of study practices that will achieve language breakthroughs. Steve has developed a language learning system available online at: www.thelinguist.com.

Bilingual Lexicography from a Communicative Perspective

Bilingual Lexicography from a Communicative Perspective
Author: Heming Yong
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2007-06-27
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 902729240X

This stimulating new book, as the premier work introducing bilingual lexicography from a communicative perspective, is launched to represent original thinking and innovative theorization in the field of bilingual lexicography. It treats the bilingual dictionary as a system of intercultural communication and bilingual dictionary making as a dynamic process realized by sets of choices, characterizing the overall nature of the dictionary. It examines the dictionary and dictionary making by using a model of lexicography which stresses the three-way relationship of compiler, dictionary context and user and incorporates them into a unified coherent framework. Throughout the study, special focus is on English and Chinese bilingual lexicography. It will serve not only as a valuable guide to those interested in dictionary compilation and theoretical inquiries but also as a textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in bilingual lexicography.

Dictionary Use in Foreign Language Writing Exams

Dictionary Use in Foreign Language Writing Exams
Author: Martin East
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2008-07-30
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027290571

This book provides an in-depth analysis of what happens when intermediate level learners of a foreign language use a bilingual dictionary when writing. Dictionaries are frequently promoted to people learning a foreign language. Nevertheless, teachers often talk about their students’ inability to use dictionaries properly, especially when they write, and this can be problematic. This book paints a comprehensive picture of the differences a dictionary makes and brings out the implications for language learning, teaching, and testing practices. It draws on research in which participants in three studies took writing tests in two test conditions – with and without a dictionary. They were also asked what they thought about the two test types. Their performances and opinions were analyzed in a variety of ways. Conclusions from the data highlight some of the practical issues to be kept in mind if we want to help foreign language learners to use bilingual dictionaries effectively when writing.

A Dictionary of Language

A Dictionary of Language
Author: David Crystal
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2001-06
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780226122038

No ordinary dictionary, David Crystal's Dictionary of Language includes not only descriptions of hundreds of languages literally from A to Z (Abkhaz to Zyryan) and definitions of literary and grammatical concepts, but also explanations of terms used in linguistics, language teaching, and speech pathology. If you are wondering how many people speak Macedonian, Malay, or Makua, or if you're curious about various theories of the origins of language, or if you were always unsure of the difference between structuralism, semiotics, and sociolinguistics, this superbly authoritative dictionary will answer all of your questions and hundred of others.

Translation and Bilingual Dictionaries

Translation and Bilingual Dictionaries
Author: Chan Sin-wai
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2013-02-06
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110912864

Is the bilingual dictionary really the translator’s best friend? Or is it the case that all translators hate all dictionaries? The truth probably lies half-way. It is difficult to verify anyway, as the literature on the subject(s) is limited, not helped by the fact that Lexicography and Translation have stood apart for decades despite their commonality of purpose. Here is a volume, based on the proceedings of a successful conference at Hong Kong, that may at last provide some answers.

Bilingual Thematic Dictionaries

Bilingual Thematic Dictionaries
Author: Martin Stark
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 501
Release: 2011-10-27
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110258897

This book is concerned with bilingual thematic dictionaries (BTDs). The three chief aims of the research project are: 1) to identify the characteristic features of the bilingual thematic dictionary, 2) to gauge its usefulness, and 3) to make suggestions as to how it could be improved. Various approaches are adopted in order to reveal the nature of the BTD. The typological approach considers the lexicographic genres (bilingual, thematic, and pedagogical) which have been combined to create this hybrid reference work. Particular attention is paid to the BTD's immediate forerunner and closest lexicographic relative: the monolingual thematic learner's dictionary. Detailed textual analyses of contemporary thematic dictionaries identify the characteristic features of the macrostructure, microstructure, and other components from a structural perspective. In order to evaluate the usefulness of the BTD features identified, the textual analyses are supplemented by three pieces of user research involving a questionnaire (to elicit learners' opinions), a test (on the effectiveness of the access structure), and an experiment (to discover how a learner uses a BTD).

Making Dictionaries

Making Dictionaries
Author: William Frawley
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2002-10-03
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9780520229969

A collection of essays about the theory and practice of Native American lexicography, and more specifically the making of dictionaries, by some of the top scholars working in Native American language studies.

The Oxford Handbook of Lexicography

The Oxford Handbook of Lexicography
Author: Philip Durkin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 737
Release: 2016
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0199691630

This volume provides concise, authoritative accounts of the approaches and methodologies of modern lexicography and of the aims and qualities of its end products. Leading scholars and professional lexicographers, from all over the world and representing all the main traditions andperspectives, assess the state of the art in every aspect of research and practice. The book is divided into four parts, reflecting the main types of lexicography. Part I looks at synchronic dictionaries - those for the general public, monolingual dictionaries for second-language learners, andbilingual dictionaries. Part II and III are devoted to the distinctive methodologies and concerns of the historical dictionaries and specialist dictionaries respectively, while chapters in Part IV examine specific topics such as description and prescription; the representation of pronunciation; andthe practicalities of dictionary production. The book ends with a chronology of the major events in the history of lexicography. It will be a valuable resource for students, scholars, and practitioners in the field.