Afrikaans learner's dictionaries for a multilingual South Africa

Abstract

Dictionaries have to be compiled in accordance with the specific needs and demands of a well-defined target user. Within the multilingual and multicultural South African society dictionaries should be aimed at the needs of the different groups of language learners. This article discusses aspects of Afrikaans learner's dictionaries. The emphasis is on the need and criteria for such dictionaries, the typical target user and on the nature of the macro- and microstructural information to be included. In a learner's dictionary the information should be presented in such a way that it can be retrieved without problems. Attention is given to various access structures employed to enhance the retrievability of information. It is argued that a restricted and simplified microstructure leads to a decrease in the density of information but to an increase in the explicitness and retrievability. The article proposes a different approach to the inclusion of certain types of encyclopedic information in learner's dictionaries.

Keywords: access structures, addressing, density of information, encyclopedic information, explicitness, illustrative examples, learner's dictionary, macrostructure, metalexicography, microstructure, pictorial illustrations, retrievability, simplicity, target user, translation equivalents