Remarks on the elaboration of an English–Spanish wordcombination dictionary

Abstract

Through a focus on word-combination analysis in bilingual dictionaries, this article presents the epistemological and methodological background for an ongoing research and editorial project aiming to produce an English–Spanish dictionary of multi-word combinations. After a discussion of the treatment of word combinations as a phenomenon in different types of dictionaries, the lexicographic process guiding the elaboration of the dictionary is described. In addition to the preliminary plan and the fieldwork undertaken for this dictionary-making project, a detailed account is given of the principles determining the inclusion of entries and their presentation within the dictionary. The typology of word combinations included in the dictionary and the structure of entries is accordingly dealt with prior to making some remarks regarding the final presentationand- revision stage currently being carried out. Because this article is based on current research intending to compile an English–Spanish dictionary of multi-word expressions, emphasis is constantly laid on a usage context where the source language is English and the target language Spanish. By considering the potential users of the English–Spanish word-combination dictionary examined here, some concluding remarks are made with regard to the educational implications of this kind of dictionary primarily aimed at intermediate- to advanced-level Spanish-speaking EFL learners.

Keywords: Multi-Word Expressions, Multi-Word Combinations, Collocations, Idiomatic Expressions, English–Spanish Bilingual Dictionaries, Lexicography, Phraseological Units