Compiling the First Monolingual Lusoga Dictionary

Abstract

Abstract:In this research article a study is made of the approach followed to compile the firstever monolingual dictionary for Lusoga. Lusoga is a Bantu language spoken in Uganda by slightly over two million people. Being an under-resourced language, the Lusoga orthography had to be designed, a grammar written, and a corpus built, before embarking on the compilation of the dictionary. This compilation was aimed at attaining an academic degree, hence requiring a rigorous research methodology. Firstly, the prevailing methods for compiling dictionaries were mainly practical and insufficient in explaining the theoretical linguistic basis for dictionary compilation. Since dictionaries are based on meaning, the theory of meaning was used to account for all linguistic data considered in dictionaries. However, meaning is considered at a very abstract level, far removed from the process of compiling dictionaries. Another theory, the theory of modularity, was used to bridge the gap between the theory of meaning and the compilation process. The modular theory explains how the different modules of a language contribute information to the different parts of the dictionary article or dictionary information in general. Secondly, the research also had to contend with the different approaches for analysing Bantu languages for Bantu and European audiences. A description of the Bantu-and European-centred approaches to Bantu studies was undertaken in respect of (a) the classification of Lusoga words, and (b) the specification of their citations. As a result, Lusoga lexicography deviates from the prevailing Bantu classification and citation of nouns, adjectives and verbs in particular. The dictionary was tested on two separate occasions and all the feedback was considered in the compilation process. This article, then, gives an overall summary of all the steps involved in the compilation of the Eiwanika ly'Olusoga, i.e. the Monolingual Lusoga Dictionary.Keywords: LEXICOGRAPHY, MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARY, THEORETICAL FRAME-WORK, DICTIONARY TESTING, EURO-CENTRED, BANTU-CENTRED, ORTHOGRAPHY, GRAMMAR, WORD CLASSES, BANTU LANGUAGES, LUSOGA, UGANDA Obufunze: Okuwandiika Eiwanika ly'Olusoga Elyasookela Ilala. Mu kiwandiiko kino mulimu ennambulula y'eisomo elyasinziilwaku okuwandiika eiwanika ly'Olusoga elisookeile ilala. Olusoga lugwa mu nnimi dh'ekika kya Bantu ela lwogelwa abantu abaswika mu bukaile obubili mu Uganda. Engeli Olusoga ye lwali nga ti lugundhiivu bulungi mu buwandiike, kyali kyetaagisa okwekalilisa walifu y'Olusoga, okuwandiika gulaama n'okuzimba eitelekelo ly'ebiwandiiko ebisinziilwaku okuwandiika Olusoga. Okuwandiika eiwanika lino kwali kilala ku bigendelelwa by'omusomo gw'omuwandiisi. Noolwekyo engeli y'okunoonheleza ku byetaagisa yalina okuba nga yeetengelela ku mutindo gw'obwevu. Okusookela ilala empandiika y'amawanika ebailewo ebaile esinga kulaga omulimu ogukoleibwa aye ng'engeli gye gutuukiibwaku teinhonholwa bukalamu. Amawanika gasinga kulondoola ntegeelo dha bigambo ela omusingi gw'entegeelo n'ogwalina okwesigamibwaku...

Digitizing the Monolingual Lusoga Dictionary: Challenges and Prospects

“…Summaries of the most essential Lusoga language information, specified for the very first time in WSG, were given independent consideration with special treatment in the dictionary. The explanation and justification of this data was given in Nabirye (2008). Given that the WSG was now an independent entity, it had to appear with all the information required to make it fitting as a complete dictionary.…”

“…The consultations with A.C. Nkabinde, on the other hand, were found to be very informative, especially for comparative Bantu lexicographical research. Exposure to other monolingual Bantu dictionaries richly informed the arguments raised in the MA itself (Nabirye 2008) as well as the final rendition of dictionary data in the WSG (Nabirye 2009). However, since none of the visits advanced the know-how regarding the corpus and dictionary writing systems beyond what the study had already secured, no further inquest was sought on these aspects.…”

“…For this study only a dummy dictionary of about 500 entries was envisaged. The MA dissertation itself (Nabirye 2008) was supposed to provide the metalexicographical background, with the actual compilation merely an illustration. At the time, therefore, no dedicated dictionary compilation software was sought, as it was assumed that the 500 entries could simply be written out using a word processer.…”

Revolutionizing Bantu Lexicography — A Zulu Case Study

“…Her extensive research (Nabirye 2008) quite naturally led her to compile a dictionary in which words are listed, the only 'natural' language units according to the mother-tongue speakers she tested her dictionary material on (cf. Nabirye 2009aNabirye , 2009b. The result -the Eiwanika ly'Olusoga ) -is a most-powerful statement by a native speaker of a Bantu language.…”

From Corpus to Dictionary: A Hybrid Prescriptive, Descriptive and Proscriptive Undertaking

“…Bergenholtz (2003: 77) During the compilation of the Eiwanika, possibilities (a) through (d) were used (cf. Nabirye 2008, 2009a, and since then possibilities (e) and (f) have been added to the mix (cf. De Schryver and Nabirye 2010, as well as Table 1 in the present article).…”