In this paper, 80 lexicographic definitions from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary are classified and evaluated, the basic question being the following: are similar words defined in similar ways? The words are classified according to part of speech, concreteness and word frequency, and eight different ways to define a word are considered. The study confirms that concreteness and part of speech have a considerable impact on the way a particular word is defined in the ALD.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Aim and Scope
3. Material
3.1 Corpuses
3.1.1 Word Selection
3.1.2 Part of Speech
3.1.3 Word Frequency
3.1.4 Concreteness
3.2 Dictionary
4 Method
4.1 Investigation
4.2 Defining 'Lexicographic Definition'
4.2.1 The Term 'Definition'
4.2.2 Lexicographic Definitions in Dictionary Entries
5 Classification of Lexicographic Definitions
5.1 Synonymous Definitions
5.2 Analytic Definitions
5.3 Synthetic Definitions
5.4 Implicative Definitions
5.5 Denotative Definitions
5.6 Ostensive Definitions
5.7 Regular Definitions
6. Analysis
6.1 Problems of Classification
6.1.1 Distinctiveness
6.1.2 Analytic and Synthetic Definitions
6.1.3. Synonymous Definitions
6.1.4 Remaining Difficulties
6.2 Results
6.2.1 Parts of Speech
6.2.2 Concreteness
6.2.3 Word Type Groups
6.2.3 Word Type Groups
7. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper aims to provide an empirical analysis of lexicographic definition methods within the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (ALD). The central research question investigates whether lexicographers consistently apply specific definition techniques—such as synonymous, analytic, or synthetic definitions—based on the word type, specifically considering parts of speech, word frequency, and concreteness as cognitive factors.
- Empirical evaluation of 80 lexicographic definitions.
- Application and classification of Robinson's (1950) definition typology.
- Correlation between part of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, function words) and definition method.
- Impact of word concreteness on the selection of definition techniques.
- Assessment of the ALD as a theoretical representation of the lexicon and its utility for dictionary users.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.1 The Term 'Definition'
Much has been written about the problems of the term 'definition' when used to refer to dictionary entries. The most important problem when using the word is the confusion of its meaning in philosophy and logic with its meaning in lexicography. The former is what Robinson (1950: 149ff) calls 'real definition', an explanation of a thing or concept, not an explanation of the meaning of a word. Wiegand (1985:60) is one of many to propose new terms for 'lexicographic definition', in his case 'lexikographische Bedeutungserläuterung'. While the emphasis on explanation in this term is important, it will suffice for my purposes to state that the terms 'definition' and 'lexicographic definition' in this paper will be used as synonyms, referring not to philosophical equation of terms, but to an explanation of a word by other words in a dictionary.
Lexical definition is our name for the enterprise of teaching some man the meaning actually borne by some word in some society. (Robinson 1950: 44)
This view of definitions is communicative in its nature, which is essential for my approach of the matter. The emphasis for lexicographic definitions, therefore, is on a successful explanation of the meaning of a word, and not on creating a logical and coherent system of words and their definitions.
Whereas philosophers are concerned with the internal coherence of their system of definition, lexicographers are concerned with explaining something their readers will understand. The methods each uses to achieve his goals only incidentally coincide. (Landau 1989: 121)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the study's goal to classify and evaluate 80 lexicographic definitions from the ALD, questioning traditional lexicographical assumptions about definition consistency.
2. Aim and Scope: This chapter defines the parameters of the study, specifying the use of three lexical properties—part of speech, word frequency, and concreteness—to categorize the sample words.
3. Material: This section describes the selection process for the word corpuses using the MRC Psycholinguistic Database and justifies the choice of the ALD as the primary dictionary for investigation.
4 Method: This chapter details the methodological approach to the research, providing a narrow, user-oriented definition of 'lexicographic definition' for the purpose of the study.
5 Classification of Lexicographic Definitions: This chapter presents the theoretical framework for classifying definitions, relying on Robinson's (1950) methods, including synonymous, analytic, and synthetic types.
6. Analysis: This chapter covers the classification process, addresses inherent difficulties in distinguishing between definition types, and presents the empirical results based on parts of speech and concreteness.
7. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the findings, confirming that definition methods in the ALD vary according to part of speech and concreteness, and assesses the practical utility of these definitions for learners.
Keywords
Lexicography, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Lexicographic Definition, Robinson's Definition Methods, Synonymous Definition, Analytic Definition, Synthetic Definition, Part of Speech, Word Concreteness, Semantic Analysis, Dictionary Users, Word Meaning, Denotation, Empirical Lexicography, Linguistic Theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this research?
The primary objective is to conduct an empirical study on the distribution of different methods of lexicographic definition in the ALD and to evaluate if lexicographers follow established theoretical rules regarding how different word types should be defined.
What are the central themes of the work?
The central themes include the typology of lexical definitions, the relationship between headwords and their definitions, and the influence of grammatical and cognitive factors—such as parts of speech and concreteness—on the construction of dictionary entries.
What research question does the paper aim to answer?
The paper asks whether the techniques used for explaining meaning in a dictionary vary according to the type of word being explained, as theorized by scholars like Béjoint, and whether this results in a consistent underlying theory of the lexicon.
What scientific methods were employed?
The author employed a systematic classification of 80 dictionary entries using Robinson's (1950) communicative framework. The words were grouped based on parts of speech, word frequency (Kucera/Francis count), and concreteness ratings from the MRC Psycholinguistic Database.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section explores the classification of definitions (synonymous, analytic, synthetic, etc.), discusses the practical difficulties in applying these categories due to the ambiguity of real-world entries, and presents quantitative results on the distribution of these methods across different lexical groups.
Which keywords define this study?
The study is characterized by keywords such as Lexicography, ALD, Lexicographic Definition, Synonymous/Analytic/Synthetic definitions, Part of Speech, and Concreteness.
How does word concreteness influence definition methods in the ALD?
The findings indicate a clear tendency: as words become more abstract, they are more likely to be defined via synonyms. Conversely, more concrete words are predominantly defined using synthetic methods, which relate the referent to other real-world objects.
Why did the author choose to investigate the ALD?
The ALD was chosen because it represents a traditional learner's dictionary. The author argues that investigating its methods provides insight into traditional dictionary-making and establishes a baseline for comparing it against more idiosyncratic volumes like the COBUILD dictionary.
- Quote paper
- Mag. Markus Widmer (Author), 1998, Methods of Lexicographic Definition in the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/14777
