Kinship Terminology: Problems in Some English–Tshivend√a Bilingual Dictionaries

Abstract

With the introduction of a new political dispensation in South Africa, bilingual dic-tionaries have become a necessary part of daily life. The main function of a bilingual dictionary is to provide one or more equivalents in the target language for the entry words in the source lan-guage. Not all bilingual dictionaries realize this objective satisfactorily, Tshivend√a bilingual dic-tionaries included. Some bilingual dictionaries in Tshivend√a provide one equivalent instead of all equivalents associated with the entry word of the source language, especially if Tshivend√a is the target language. Not providing all equivalents renders a bilingual dictionary inadequate, because users do not always find what they look for. By focusing on kinship terms in some English–Tshi-vend√a bilingual dictionaries, this article discusses examples of inadequate treatment. The article further advocates the inclusion of all possible equivalents under such entry words.

Keywords: bilingual dictionary, cross-relationship, dictionary user, equivalent, indigenous language, kinship terminology, ortho-relation-ship, source language, lexical unit, lexicographer, relatives, target language, translation