Cultural Aspects in the Shona Monolingual Dictionary "Duramazwi Guru reChiShona"

Abstract

In the compilation of dictionaries, lexicographers also take cognisance of the culture which is inherent in a language. This article will look at the way the cultural aspect is interwoven in the practice of dictionary making. Language is at the core of culture and it is the major vehicle for the transmission of a people's beliefs and values. Language is also an expression of social struc-tures and attitudes. No culture can exist which does not have a natural language at its centre. A language thus reflects a particular culture. Culture in this article will be taken to mean whatever a person must know in order to function in a particular society (Wardhaugh 1998: 215). The article will look at two aspects: (1) the interrelationship between language and culture and its bearing on lexicography; and (2) the treatment of cultural aspects in Duramazwi Guru reChiShona (2001). Exam-ples used in this article are drawn from the advanced Shona monolingual dictionary Duramazwi Guru reChiShona, and other Shona dictionaries, both monolingual and bilingual.

Keywords: cultural competence, cultural aspects, cultural meaning, culture, dictionary, euphemism, extended meaning, idiom, lexicography, proverbs, shona, shona society, taboo