Shortages in Arabic Dictionaries

TITLE PAGE

Shortages of Arabic dictionaries

Abstract

The developed a conceptual lexical string model of word relationships which cold be used in the writing of a multilingual dictionary

The research reviewed state-of-the-art s dealing particularly with Arabic-English dictionaries and evaluated existing dictionary translations especially Al Mawrid which is considered as the standard English to Arabic translation

Respondents from different but related fields were interviewed and focus group discussions were held to tackle relevant questions dealing with the practice and theories pertinent to lexicography

Grounded approach and modeling

were used in developing the methodology used in the study of the

Important insights and results generated by the study included : the validation of the string model supported by findings of the cases made in the study and based on current thinking in language and translation a dictionary effort is necessarily a multidisciplinary effort there is a need for detailed code of conduct in the translation process there is a need for meta language to handle translations

One innovation of the research is combining philosophical precepts of semiotics with basics of modeling to come up with an approach to translation

Table of Contents

1 .0 . Introduction 6

1 .1 . Background 6

1 .2 . Objectives of the study 7

1 .3 . Statement of the Problem 8

1 .4 . Importance of the Study 9

2 .0 . Review of Related Literature 10

2 .1 . The Role of Linguistics in Lexical 10

Schematization According to Saussure

2 .1 .1 . Language and meaning 10

2 .1 .2 . Phases in study of linguistics 11

2 .2 . The Nature and Structure of Linguistic Entity 13

2 .2 .1 . Language and reality 13

2 .2 .2 . Concept-auditory image 13

2 .2 .3 . Linguistic entity 14

2 .2 .4 . Synchronic analysis 16

2 .3 . On Lexical Meaning and the Valuation of Its Terms 17

2 .3 .1 . Embedding meaning in language 17

2 .3 .2 . Structure of signs 18

2 .3 .3 . Systemic differences 20

2 .3 .4 . The value of a word 20

2 .3 .5 . Associative relation 21

2 .4 . On Sterkenburg , Swanepoel and 22

Geeraerts ' Conception of the Lexicon

2 .4 .1 . Meaning-making in multi-lingual context 22

2 .4 .2 . Critical importance of dictionaries 23

2 .5 . On the Naissance of Dictionary 24

2 .5 .1 . The functional definition of a dictionary 24

2 .5 .2 . Relativism in dictionaries 25

2 .5 .3 . Criteria setting 27

2 .5 .3 .1 . Formal criterion 27

2 .5 .3 .2 . Functional criterion 28

2 .5 .3 .3 . Content-based criterion 29

2 .6 . On the Typological Nature of Dictionary 30

2 .6 .1 . User driven typologies 30

2 .6 .2 . Fundamental attributes of a typology 31

2 .7 . On Geeraerts Meaning and Definition 34

2 .7 .1 . Property attribution 34

2 .7 .2 . Uniqueness factor 34

2 .7 .3 . Handling multiple meanings 36

2 .7 .4 . Meaning in the context of reality 37

2 .7 .5 . Linguistic perspectives 39

2 .8 . The Cognitive Consideration in Translating 40

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