In the history of lexicography, a lot has been said about dictionary users and their needs. This paper will focus on two theories that both share the postulate that dictionaries are tools made by human beings in order to solve specific problems. The first theory is developed by the German scholar H.E. Wiegand and it will be argued that his theory about dictionary use should be considered a linguistic reconstruction of information items in existing dictionaries. The other theory is the modern theory of lexicographic functions that takes all the theoretical and practical consequences of the basic postulate that dictionaries are utility products.

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Abstract:Word formation in the dictionary belongs, at the latest since the contribution of Mugdan (1984), to the topics frequently discussed by lexicographers. Unfortunately the results have not always been satisfactory. This applies both to the formulation of lexicographic theory and to the lexicographic practice because the lexicographic terms have the linguistic terms as point of departure and questions are put as to how these phenomena should be presented in dictionaries. Instead, one should rather ask which information needs dictionary users experience in which types of user situations and then decide where and how items giving word formation can be presented in order to benefit the envisaged target user of a given dictionary.The lexicographic practice is also in an unsatisfactory position with regard to items giving word formation because the typical polyfunctional dictionaries have too many items giving word formation for text reception problems and far too few for text production problems or for the real general knowledge needs regarding word formation in the specific language. This paper gives suggestions regarding the theoretical approaches that could lead to a better user-directed lexicographic practice. Keywords: AFRIKAANS DICTIONARIES, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, COMPLEX FORM, COMPOUND, DERIVATIVE, DICTIONARY FUNCTION, ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES, TEXT PRODUCTION, TEXT RECEPTION, USER NEEDS, WORD FORMATION Opsomming: Die aanbieding van woordvorming in algemene verklarendewoordeboeke. Woordvorming in woordeboeke is ten minste sedert die bydrae van Mugdan (1984) 'n onderwerp wat gereeld deur leksikograwe bespreek word. Ongelukkig was die resultate hiervan nie altyd bevredigend nie. Dit geld sowel die formulering van leksikografiese teorie as die leksikografiese praktyk want die leksikografiese terme het linguistierse terme as vertrekpunt en vrae word gestel oor hoe hierdie verskynsels in woordeboeke aangebied moet word. In stede daarvan behoort daar eerder gevra te word watter inligtingsbehoeftes gebruikers in watter tipes gebruikersituasies ervaar en dan moet daar besluit word waar en hoe aanduiders van woordvorming aangebied moet word om die beoogde teikengebruiker van die woordeboek ten beste te bevoordeel.Die leksikografiese praktyk is ook in 'n onbevredigende situasie met betrekking tot aanduiders van woordvorming. Die tipiese polifunksionele woordeboeke het te veel aanduiders wat woordvorming vir teksbegrip bied en veels te min wat op die oplossing van teksproduksieprohttp://lexikos.journals.ac.za

In the current debate about the status of lexicography there are at least three quite different opinions: (i) Lexicography does not have or need any kind of own theory but can use all relevant linguistic theories.(ii) Lexicography needs a special theory for the lexicographical praxis, but this discipline is still a part of linguistics.(iii) Lexicography is a genuine part of information science and can use theories and learn from practice in the information society, but it also needs special theories for lexicography.It is the third opinion we will maintain in this paper by discussing the information needs in the information society and partly using the function theory of lexicography.