Metalexicographic criteria for a monolingual descriptive dictionary presenting the standard variety of Yipunu

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The dictionaries available in the Gabonese languages are all translation dictionaries biased towardsFrench and compiled by missionaries and colonial administrators. No proper monolingual dictionariesexist in the Gabonese languages. There is therefore a need for monolingual dictionaries in theGabonese languages, particularly in Yipunu, one of the Bantu languages (B 43) spoken in the South ofGabon. Yipunu is a regional vehicular language or a major or majority language. Yipunu is adomestic language i.e spoken inside Bapunu communities or a mother tongue or first language andYipunu is also taught as subject in the national educational system.As a response to this need, this dissertation proposes metalexicographic criteria for the compilation of astandard descriptive monolingual dictionary with special reference to Yipunu. The proposed modelfocuses primarily on the inclusion and the treatment of the standard variety of Yipunu and to a lesserdegree on the other varieties. Such a model is directed at a dictionary primarily dealing with the needsof the average, educated members of the Yipunu speech community, the mother-tongue speakers, andalso designed for experienced and advanced learners of Yipunu and their teachers.This study aims to point out how important standard descriptive monolingual dictionaries are in generaland specifically in the case of African Bantu languages. This study also aims to highlight theimportance for Gabonese lexicographers to adopt modern lexicographical principles in dictionarycompilation such as the user-driven dictionary and the corpus-based dictionary. This model, althoughdevised for Yipunu, will eventually serve as model for the design of standard descriptive dictionaries inall Gabonese languages. This study provides information about the content and the structures of such adictionary and is structured as follows: Chapter 1 focuses on introducing and contextualising the research. It presents the linguistic situationin Gabon with reference to the status of Yipunu. It also shows the importance and the relevance of theresearch and gives the theoretical basis, methodology, hypotheses and objectives underlying the study.Chapter 2 criticises the lexicographic works in Yipunu in order to improve the quality of futureYipunu dictionaries and examines the major needs of Yipunu lexicography.Chapter 3 envisages some aspects of the standardisation of Yipunu. It targets the discussion at thelevel of the language analysis namely the phonology, the grammar, the dictionary and the orthographyof Yipunu.Chapter 4 discusses the user perspective, which guides the dictionary compilation. It focuses on theuser profile, user typologies and dictionary functions. The intended dictionary has a multifunctionalcharacter. Special attention is given to a pioneering survey of dictionary use among Gabonese studentsand to the discussion of the teaching of dictionary use in Gabon.Chapter 5 deals with the dictionary plan. Different aspects such as the style guide, the genuinepurpose, the dictionary basis, data collection, the data collection policy, data collection methods and thecorpus of the proposed dictionary are discussedChapter 6 elaborates on the macrostructure of the proposed dictionary. The dictionary gives priority toa strict alphabetical macrostructure. Macrostructural elements, lemmatisation strategies, and types oflemmas and articles to be included in the proposed dictionary are discussed.Chapter 7 focuses on the microstructure of the proposed dictionary. The model suggests an obligatorymicrostructure and an extended obligatory microstructure and discusses the variety of data to beincluded in the articles of the proposed dictionary.Chapter 8 deals with the outer text section and the guide structures of the proposed dictionary, whichincludes front and back matter texts. Polyaccessibility, a system of cross-referencing, and lemmatic andnon-lemmatic addressings are characteristics of the proposed dictionary. Chapter 9 makes some concluding remarks by highlighting the focus point of each chapter of thedissertation. It gives also some recommendations for the research.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University