This paper is about feature names in Zimbabwe. It focuses on the role played by place names in defining Zimbabwe, both as a physical entity and as a community of speakers with a remarkable history and a sense of nationhood. The paper thus focuses on two types of place names, that is, those that refer to the natural landscape, such as mountains and rivers, as well as those that refer to man-made features such as roads and streets, hospitals and schools. Regarding names that are bestowed onto the features of the natural landscape, we will look at how some place names vividly describe the outstanding features or characteristics of particular geographical features, that is, the extent to which the names are used as tools in describing the features; the way the eye meets the landscape. We will also look at how some names of physical features are coined in response to the landscape's 'behaviour' or in relation to the link the landscape has with historical event(s). The paper will also look at how the bestowal of commemorative names on Zimbabwean features has been used in concretising the Zimbabwean people's link with the country's history, that is, how Zimbabweans have tried to define themselves as a people through naming some of their popular places after names of the country's heroes and heroines, both living and dead.

Abstract:As noted by Béjoint (2000: 6), the main objective in dictionary-making is to define words and terms. This is especially the case if the fact is accepted that dictionaries are mostly consulted for word meaning and that, in the consultation process, the user hopes to acquire and/or verify certain information. However, as again noted by Jackson (1988), Landau (1984), Svénsen (1993 and Zgusta (1971), among others, the description of word meaning is one of the greatest difficulties with which the lexicographer has to cope. This article discusses some of the challenges facing lexicographers when defining 'offensive' headwords in a monolingual dictionary. It is based on experiences of defining such headwords for the general-purpose, medium-sized, synchronic, monolingual Shona dictionary, Duramazwi Guru reChiShona (henceforth DGC) (Chimhundu et al. 2001). DGC was compiled and edited by a six-member team of mother-tongue speakers of Shona who are researchers at the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI). The article also discusses some of the strategies the team of editors adopted as ways of dealing with offensive words in DGC.One such strategy is the use of euphemism in defining. Keywords: ALRI, CULTURE, DEFINITION, THEORETICAL DEFINITION, PRACTICAL DEFINITION, DICTIONARY, EUPHEMISM, LEXICOGRAPHY, MONOLINGUAL DICTION-ARY, OFFENSIVE HEADWORD, SHONAOpsomming: Om die kind by sy naam te noem of nie te noem nie: Die dilemma van die behandeling van "aanstootlike" terme in Duramazwi Guru reChiShona. Soos deur Béjoint (2000: 6) opgemerk, is die hoofdoel van woordeboekmaak om woorde en terme te definieer. Dit is veral die geval as die feit aanvaar word dat woordeboeke meestal geraadpleeg word vir woordbetekenis en dat, by die raadplegingsproses, die gebruiker hoop om sekere inligting te bekom en/of te kontroleer. Soos weer eens opgemerk deur onder andere Jackson (1988), Landau (1984), Svénsen (1993) en Zgusta (1971, is die omskrywing van woordbetekenis egter een van die grootste moeilikhede wat die leksikograaf moet hanteer. Hierdie artikel bespreek sommige van die uitdagings waarvoor leksikograwe te staan kom wanneer "aan-*

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Monolingual communities are an extremely rare phenomenon. Instead, most communities are multilingual in that there is usually more than one language spoken. Although multilingualism has been viewed in some circles as an asset in that different languages can be assigned different functions, it sometimes poses a multiplicity of challenges to language planners and researchers. Taking the Zimbabwean situation as a case study, this article highlights some of the problems and challenges that language researchers face in their bid to develop the country's languages. It specifically focuses on issues of language development that came as a challenge to language researchers involved in lexicographic and other language-related research in the African Languages Lexical (ALLEX) Project as well as in the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI). Some such challenges discussed include issues like language selection for development, absence of clear language policy and the important issue of attitudes of respective language communities towards language research programmes. The article also looks at how the project and the institute have managed to make meaningful contributions within the context of the research-unfriendly environment that the researchers found themselves in. The article is based on the writer's experiences as a researcher of both the ALLEX Project and ALRI.

Abstract:In this article, an analysis of the utilisation of outer texts in recently compiled dictionaries of African languages is presented. The analysis is undertaken in the context of an upsurge of the compilation of dictionaries in the African languages. It is undertaken with a view to do a qualitative evaluation of the many new dictionaries of African languages that have come on the market in recent years. The point of departure is that prior to the recent lexicographic developments, the then available dictionaries were compiled in the context of the limited role the African languages played. It has been found that most of those dictionaries are limited in scope, perspective and function and hence less effective now that the languages are being assigned a greater social role. The evaluation of outer texts in modern dictionaries is therefore a way of measuring the extent to which lexicographic practice in the African languages is applying theoretical developments to produce better dictionaries. Keywords: LEXICOGRAPHY, LEXICOGRAPHIC PRACTICE, METALEXICOGRAPHY, DICTIONARIES, AFRICAN LANGUAGES, FRAME STRUCTURE, OUTER TEXTS, FRONT MATTER, BACK MATTER, MIDDLE MATTER, LEXICOGRAPHIC DATAOpsomming: Die aanwending van buitetekste in die praktiese leksikografie van die Afrikatale. In hierdie artikel word 'n ontleding van die aanwending van buitetekste in onlangs saamgestelde woordeboeke van die Afrikatale aangebied. Die ontleding word gedoen in die konteks van 'n oplewing in die samestelling van woordeboeke in die Afrikatale. Dit word onderneem met die oog daarop om 'n kwalitatiewe beoordeling van die baie nuwe woordeboeke van die Afrikatale te doen wat in die laaste jare op die mark gekom het. Die vertrekpunt is dat, voor die onlangse leksikografiese ontwikkelinge, die toe beskikbare woordeboeke saamgestel is binne die konteks van die beperkte rol wat die Afrikatale gespeel het. Daar is vasgestel dat die meeste van daardie woordeboeke beperk in omvang, dimensie en funksie en daarom minder doeltreffend is noudat 'n groter maatskaplike rol aan die tale toegeken is. Die beoordeling van buitetekste in moderne woordeboeke is daarom 'n manier om die omvang te bepaal waartoe die leksikografiese praktyk in die Afrikatale teoretiese ontwikkelinge toepas om beter woordeboeke voort te bring.