The Problem of Definitions

is connected with the problem of semasiology. The meaning of words is revealed through definitions.

Lobster – a shell fish with 8 legs and 2 claws and scarlet after it is boiled.

Shiver is defined through tremble.

Tremble is defined through shake

In a monolingual dictionary such definitions are insufficient, there are no indications as to the denotatum which is chosen.

It is still more difficult to reveal the meaning of words in a bilingual dictionary. Here a decisive factor is a distinction of the notion which is expressed by a word through hyperonymy

shiver

Сотрясаться от shake

(Oжегов) tremble

In the learner’s dictionary indications contain a hidden component of meaning. Petty may be referred to «домик», but not «небоскреб». Petty is usually combined with feminite gender, children, small size.

We must take into consideration the so-called national peculiarities in the structure of meaning.

Thus, philander (волочиться) may be referred only to MEN.

Combinability of words is connected with NORM. Norm is revealed in speech but is fixed in the language. Language norm speech usage.

When do we break the norm? How to prevent it? Norm is a historical category, which is socially conditioned. In different historical periods different words are tabooed. There is a tendency to raise colloquial forms to the norm:

договор – договоры (разг. «договорá»)

учитель – учителя (школы), учители (в жизни, творчестве)

For colloquial speech such plural forms constitute the norm. We’ll never say in scientific register: «Ужасно красивый материал». In this register «значимость» replaces «значение». Sometimes violation of the norm is connected with age and profession: дóбыча, компáс, чемпионат стартовал в Москве, прекрасный волнительный момент, кубок получил прописку в Москве.

Violation of the norm in speech may be exemplified by the agreement in gender: That’s what you says. The following items are essential in dictionary-compiling:

1. The selection of head-words.

2. The arrangement and contents of the entry.

3. The problem of definition of meaning.

4. Semantic and functional classification of words

5. The problem of notations.

English dictionaries are being now printed by the computer. To make a new unabridged dictionary today is impossible without predecessor to serve as a starting place. At least three Webster dictionaries have been computerized. The Seventh Collegiate Dictionary has been completely programmed.

A computer can be connected with a universal scanner (to scan – разлагать, просматривать изображения) – one that can read type faces of all sizes and kinds – to store citations.

English lexicography is the richest in the world with respect to variety and scope of the dictionaries published. Every educated person is supposed to consult a dictionary regularly, to develop the so-called “dictionary habit”.

A great variety of unilingual dictionaries is regularly published for children of any age. Various kinds of people constantly need dictionaries: those who study foreign languages, translators, tourists and, of course, linguists. A good dictionary must provide an adequate translation of every word, it must provide the reader with the information on spelling and pronunciation, inflectional, derivational, semantic and syntactic information and also notes on its stylistic characteristics, whether the word is slangy, poetical, dialectical, professional or rare, archaic, a historism. Of considerable importance are the following remarks of evaluatory character: “disrespectfully,” “an abusive term”, “usually hostile”, “as a “nickname”, “applied opprobriously”, “a contemptuous term”, “ironically”, “jocular”.