Lexikos (Sep 2012)
Towards a Multilingual Dictionary of Academic Words Op weg na 'n meertalige woordeboek van akademiese woorde
Abstract
<p>Vocabulary is an essential component of study, of reading and writing skills. At present, English is the primary language of tertiary education in South Africa, and this puts students from other language backgrounds at a disadvantage. The proposed dictionary will therefore be aimed at second language English users who are entry level students at university. It will be in four languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Sepedi. I.S.P. Nation and J. Coady have compiled an academic core vocabulary which tertiary students in all subject fields need to master in order to be able to encode and decode tertiary level texts, and this has been the basis for the planned dictionary. However, this list needs to be compared to and updated with material from a South African academic corpus. A preliminary comparative study has been conducted on the basis of authentic South African data, and a revised list has been created. The dictionary will not be subject-specific, but will deal with a general subtechnical vocabulary. Full definitions will be provided in all four languages, as well as translation equivalents, with English as the pivot language. Where a lexical gap occurs, translation equivalents will be coined with the help of the relevant experts. Thus the dictionary will also participate in much-needed corpus development of the African languages. It should become a valuable reference tool for both teacher and student.</p><p> </p><p>Woordeskat vorm 'n essensiële deel van die leerproses, van lees- en skryfvaardighede. Tans is Engels die primêre taal van die tersiêre onderwys in Suid-Afrika, en dit benadeel studente met ander taalagtergronde. Die beplande woordeboek is derhalwe gerig op eerstejaaruniversiteitstudente wat Engels as tweede taal gebruik. Dit sal in vier tale wees: Engels, Afrikaans, Zulu en Sepedi. I.S.P. Nation en J. Coady het 'n akademiese kernwoordeskat saamgestel wat tersiêre studente in alle studierigtings behoort te ken om tekste op tersiêre vlak te enkodeer en te dekodeer, en dit het as basis vir die beplande woordeboek gedien. Hierdie lys moet egter vergelyk en opgedateer word met materiaal uit 'n Suid-Afrikaanse akademiese korpus. 'n Voorlopige vergelykende studie is gedoen op basis van outentieke Suid-Afrikaanse data, en 'n hersiene lys is opgestel. Die woordeboek sal nie vakspesifiek wees nie, maar gerig wees op die algemene, subtegniese woordeskat. Volledige definisies in al vier tale sal verskaf word, sowel as vertaalekwivalente, met Engels as die ankertaal. Waar leksikale gapings voorkom, sal vertaalekwivalente geskep word met die hulp van geskikte kundiges. Op hierdie manier sal die woordeboek bydra tot noodsaaklike korpusontwikkeling in die Afrikatale. Dit behoort ook 'n waardevolle naslaangids vir sowel onderwysers as studente te wees.</p><p> </p>
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