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 Points
to Remember  |
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| QUESTIONS |
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| A. Answer the following questions |
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1. What is a dictionary?,
2. Give the possible definitions of the term dictionary.
3. What are the important dictionary types? |
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| B. State whether the following statements
are true or false: |
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| 1. A dictionary should have words
arranged in alphabetical order. [True/False]
2. In a dictionary the meanings and the functions
of the words are described. [True/False]
3. A dictionary is not merely a list of words. [True/False]
4. Number of languages can be criterion for the classification
of dictionaries. [True/False]
5. Encyclopaedic dictionary is one in which only linguistic
information is given. [True/False]
6. The list of words that exists in the mind of speakers
is called a practical dictionary. [True/False] |
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| 413.3.2: THEORETICAL DICTIONARY AND PRACTICAL
DICTIONARY |
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| All the
speakers of a language- either mother tongue speakers
or other tongue speakers - possess a list of words of
that language in their command. The totality of these
words is called theoretical dictionary or lexicon. This
theoretical dictionary exists in the mind of the speaker.
We are yet to understand how the human mind stores and
retrieves enormous amount of information, which also includes
the lexicon of a language - several languages in case
of a polygot. The lexical entries of the theoretical dictionary
are realized in actual speech context. As against the
theoretical dictionary the list of words compiled in the
form of a book or ordered in a particular way (in most
cases alphabetically) is the practical dictionary. The
term 'dictionary; generally used to denote practical dictionary.
Preparation of the practical dictionary comes under the
purview of lexicography. |
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| The theoretical
dictionary comprises the total word stock of an individual
which he acquires during his life. As such, the theoretical
dictionary of an individual is ever changing. The change
may be by way of adding new words, or by dropping some
of the existing words, or deploying the existing words
in new meanings. All this is demanded by the ever changing
needs of communication. |
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| For example,
a rural family, when shifted to an urban setting, has
no need of using certain words related to rural life.
Gradually those words are deleted from the usage in the
family and instead certain new words related to the urban
life are added. Similarly, with the change in the political
set up several words related ancient Indian administration
have been dropped or are used in different meaning in
the present-day democratic set up. One such word which
is deployed in new meaning is the term for 'minister'.
This word in many languages(mantri in Hindi) means an
adviser to the king in a monarchical set up. Thus theoretical
dictionary is and open-ended set of words. |
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| From the
above discussion it can be seen that the major difference
between the practical and theoretical dictionary is that
the theoretical dictionary which is also called lexicon,
is the set of words or lexical items that exists in the
minds of the speakers of a language, whereas the practical
dictionary is the list of words which is written or compiled
in the form of a book. |
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| There is
another difference. That lies in the system of 'arrangement'
of lexical items. While the words or lexical items in
a practical dictionary are 'arranged' in a particular
order, they are an unordered set in the theoretical dictionary.
Arrangement involves putting things in a particular order.
The purpose of arrangement is to facilitate retrieval.
Even though the lexical items are not arranged in any
order in the minds of the speakers, they (the lexical
items) are very efficiently realized at the time of actual
speech. While the system of arrangement is helping the
user retrieve the lexical entries in a practical dictionary,
three properties or characteristics viz. morphological,
syntactic and semantic properties or characteristics of
each lexical item (word) help the speaker retrieve or
realize the lexical items in a theoretical dictionary. |
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| Consider the following examples: |
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| 1. Morphological features |
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| (a) In Telugu a human noun ending
in du changes to di when a case suffix is added.
raamudu 'Rama' raamudikoosam 'for 'Rama' |
| (b) Telugu verb meaning 'to come'
has three forms raa- , vas- and vacc- as in raavaali
'one has to come', vastaanu 'I will come' and vaccindi
'she/it came'. |
| (c) In Hindi, kamaraa 'room' changes
to kamre when a case suffix is added as in kamre-m?
'in the room'. |
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| Such characteristics occurring
at word formation level are called morphological
features. |
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| 2. Syntactic Features |
(a) In a Telugu sentences like
raamudu
annam tinnaadu 'Rama ate food.'
Siita
annam tinnadi 'Sita ate food.' |
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