The Heart of the Matter: Methodological Challenges in Developing a Contemporary Reading Programme for Monolingual Lexicography, from the Perspective of the Dictionary Unit for South African English*

Abstract

This article argues the importance of the reading programme as the pivotal issue in the lexicographic process. It is essentially a practical article which outlines strategies for developing and implementing a reading programme for monolingual lexicography. The arguments are informed by theory, together with an examination of the data-collection procedures followed by the Dictionary Unit for South African English (DSAE) and a survey of current practice in major English dictionary units around the world, namely the Oxford English Dictionary, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the Australian National Dictionary Centre and the New Zealand Dictionary Centre. The reading programme for the DSAE is first defined and contextualized within its mission statement. The article then explores the challenges inherent in sampling contemporary written and spoken English in the South African multilingual context. It is intended to inform the DSAE's intake policy, in terms of the following critical issues:
— the definition of South African English,
— the monitoring and selection of print, oral and electronic sources,
— the excerpting of citations and relevant bibliographic information, and
— the recruiting and training of readers.
These interlinked aspects of the reading programme have crucial implications for the quality and authority of the monolingual dictionary on historical principles.

Keywords: reading programme, monolingual dictionary, historical principles, contemporary, intake, citations, strategies