The Future of Linguistics and Lexicographers: Will there be Lexicographers in the Year 3000?

Abstract

Abstract Lexicology has been posed as a science ever since the 18th century. In the article Grammaire from Diderot and D’Alembert’s Encyclopedia, lexicology is described as the explanation of three aspects of knowledge about each of the words from a language: its Material, its Value, and its Etymology. The Material is described as how a given word is put together: the syllables that compose it, how it is pronounced. The Value of a word is divided into three parts: the fundamental sense (proper or figurative), the specific sense (now called the part-of-speech), and the accidental sense (morphological variants of the word). The Etymology concerns the rules by which new words are formed, as well as the historical sources of a word interesting as an aid to understanding the word’s current meaning. Lexicology dealt with words taken in isolation, while syntax concerned words in the context of other words. The section ends: “Tels sont les points de vue fondamentaux auxquels on peut rapporter les principes de la Lexicologie. C’est aux dictionnaires de chaque langue à marquer sur chacun des mots qu’ils renferment, les décisions propres de l’usage, relatives à ces points de vue.” Looking at modern dictionaries, we find that lexicographers in every language have taken these words to heart. The same principles are found in today’s dictionary entries. The Material is presented in a word’s spelling, pronunciation, and syllabification. The Etymology is often covered by a succinct presentation of the word’s origins. Two of the three parts of the word’s Value, the part-of-speech and special morphological variants, are almost invariably included in the entry. The remaining point of view on a word, a description of the fundamental sense, composes the meat of the dictionary entry, and, to mix the culinary metaphor, is the bread-and-butter of the lexicographer.

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