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Bilingual dictionary and meaning discrimination in Venda
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Mafela, Mvuizhedzi James |
| Copyright Year | 2004 |
| Abstract | Venda, one of the minority languages in South Afiica, has few dictionaries. All are translational bilingual dictionaries meant for dictionary users who are non-native speakers of the language. Dictionary users find it difficult to use the Venda bilingual dictionaries because they are confronted with equivalents which they cannot distinguish. In most cases the equivalents of the entry-words are provided without supplying meaning discrimination. Dictionary users are therefore confronted with several equivalents which express different meanings. Without a good command ofthe Venda language and the provision ofmeaning discrimination, they find it difficult to make a correct choice of the equivalent for which they are looking. Venda bilingual dictionaries are therefore not helpful for dictionary users who are not speakers ofthe language. Devices such as definitions ofequivalents, provision ofillustrative examples and labels in the form ofparts ofspeech •••• be used to solve the problem ofmeaning discrimination in Venda bilingual dictionaries. This paper highlights the problem ofthe absence ofmeaning discrimination and suggests solutions to future Venda lexicographers in this regard. 1. Venda Bilingual Dictionaries. A bilingual dictionary entails the description of two cultures because it deals with the translation of entry-words from the source language to the target language. Bilingual dictionaries may serve both target language and source language speakers. When a target language speakerwants to comprehend a foreign language he or she will consult a bilingual dictionary. When a source language speaker wants to express himself or herself in a foreign language, he or she will also consult a bilingual dictionary. As Swanson (1983:193) puts it, a bilingual dictionary can be useful and desirable to several kinds of people: students, travellers and linguists. According to Zgusta (1971:294), the basic purpose of a bilingual dictionary is to co-ordinate with the lexical units of one language those lexical units of another language which are equivalent in their lexical meaning. Such co-ordinations in many instances are accompanied by problems on the part of dictionary users, especially if they are not native speakers ofthe target language. A user is much less likely to know the meanings of foreign language words in the entries, and will therefore need information on how these foreign language words differ in meaning. Gouws (2000:102) writes that this is a direct result of the traditional approach which sees a bilingual dictionary as a mono-functional product in which the treatment is restricted to the mere listing of a number of translation equivalents. The translation equivalents ofentry-words in a bilingual dictionary are usually oftwo types i.e. translational and explanatory. A translational equivalent is a lexical unit which can be immediately inserted into a language, whereas the explanatory equivalent is of general |
| Starting Page | 501 |
| Ending Page | 509 |
| Page Count | 9 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://euralex.org/wp-content/themes/euralex/proceedings/Euralex%202004/056_2004_V2_Munzhedzi%20James%20MAFELA_Bilingual%20dictionary%20and%20meaning%20discrimination%20in%20Venda.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
