Why relevance theory is relevant for lexicography

Abstract

This article starts by providing a brief summary of relevance theory in information science in relation to the function theory of lexicography, explaining the different types of relevance, viz. objective system relevance and the subjective types of relevance, i.e. topical, cognitive, situational, socio-cognitive and affective relevance. It then shows, at the hand of examples, why relevance is important from a user perspective in the extra-lexicographical pre-and post-consultation phases and in the intra-lexicographical consultation phase. It defines an additional type of subjective relevance that is very important for lexicography as well as for information science, viz. functional relevance. Since all lexicographic work is ultimately aimed at satisfying users' information needs, the article then discusses why the lexicographer should take note of all these types of relevance when planning a new dictionary project, identifying new tasks and responsibilities of the modern lexicographer. The article furthermore discusses how relevance theory impacts on teaching dictionary culture and reference skills. By integrating insights from lexicography and information science, the article contributes to new ideas for both disciplines.

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“…Tarp (2013) has illustrated how the translation model needed to guide the design of translation dictionaries is different from the models used in translation science, though inspired by these. Bothma & Tarp (2014) have shown that relevance theory, as it has been developed within information science, needs to be complemented with an additional dimension related to the functionality of the tool when applied within lexicography.…”

Connecting the Dots: Tradition and Disruption in Lexicography

“…It is based on the criterion of relevance (cf. Bothma and Tarp 2014). The most relevant data are provided first (as far as it is possible) and the less relevant have to be accessed through further steps.…”

La ventana al futuro: despidiéndose de los diccionarios para abrazar la lexicografía

“…En esta base de datos, los datos asignados a la palabra "seal" ocupan nueve páginas si se imprimen en papel de tamaño A4, y comprenden tres lemas (un verbo y dos nombres con diferentes paradigmas de flexión) con un total de 19 sentidos y una gran cantidad de datos asignados a cada acepción (ver figura 7). El reto ahora es cómo se puede presentar y estructurar todos estos datos de manera elegante en la ventana de consultas sin incurrir en una sobrecarga de datos y sin obligar al usuario a tomar demasiados pasos hasta obtener la información deseada (Gouws & Tarp, 2017 A continuación, presentaremos un diseño alternativo de la ventana de consultas que se basa en el criterio de relevancia aplicado a la lexicografía (Bothma & Tarp, 2014).…”