PRINCIPLES OF TOPONYMIC LEXICOGRAPY IN NON-SPECIAL ENGLISH DICTIONARIES

Abstract

The problem of lexicographic inclusion of toponymic lexical units in general explanatory dictionaries is considered at the given article. At the same time, a classification scheme of typological description of place-names has been developed, a number of related problems, which are still to be solved in future, has been identified. The proposed scientific analysis of four general English dictionaries proves incidental character of choice of geographic places aiming at their enclosure in a dictionary. Modern lexicographic practice has already accumulated some experience in the toponymic vocabulary description. However, there are still no developing and clear working methods on how to operate with toponyms in the lexicographic theory, but this problem has not yet received exhaustive coverage in works on the theory of lexicography. The range of solution issues is quite broad: from the development of non-conflicting principles for the position of toponyms in the dictionary and their location in the body of the dictionary (for example, in the alphabet, along with other types of introduction, or a separate application) to the method and amount of semantics (encyclopedic and / or linguistic). Comparison between the lexicographic part in the study and the typological one, gives an answer to the question of the principles for toponym selection in the dictionary (in fact, the preference is given to large and medium objects). However, with this approach, the cultural and historical component of the toponym semantics will not be taken into account (for example, Khortytsya Island is a small geographical object - has a tremendous cultural and historical significance for Ukraine; the street Wall Street is a small geographic object plays an important role in world economy, etc.).The structural analysis of definitions proves that unified adequate approach to semantization of toponyms has not yet been developed in modern lexicography.

Keywords

• топонімічна лексика
• принципи відбору топонімів
• семантика топонімів
• культурно-історична складова семантики
• лексикографічна практика