The value of Corpus Linguistics for contemporary dictionary making: From Citations to Collocations

Abstract

During the last 30 years, corpus linguistics has had a profound impact on lexicographers' work and has revolutionized the way in which dictionaries have been prepared from intuition to data. In the last 30 years, corpus linguistics has reshaped the work of the lexicographer from intuition to data. This article deals with the many aspects of dictionary making that have been influenced by the use of corpus linguistics, the use of the AntConc and LancsBox collocation analysis tools, and the use of computational methods to shape the dictionary processes of selection of headwords, writing definitions, extracting examples from the text and documenting patterns of phrases. Based on a comprehensive and extensive survey of the scholarly literature in the fields of lexicography, corpus linguistics, and computational approaches to language description, the study brings together the themes that emerged across the three main dimensions: corpus-driven methods in lexicographic work, the use of digital tools and technologies, and the creation of specialized and multilingual dictionaries. The article suggests two main advantages for the use of corpus-based methods: the enrichment of the descriptive content and the dictionary's currency, and the broadening of its pedagogical value for language learners as well as for specialised users. The results obtained from the literature survey show that the programs called AntConc and LancsBox can help lexicographers to extract statistically significant collocations and concordance lines, leading to better representative dictionaries of authentic language use. The article also mentions a gap in research with respect to the few studies on low-resource and indigenous languages that employ corpus methods. The study ends with a plea for a wider, more inclusive definition of corpus-assisted lexicography, which goes beyond the technological skills to the linguistic diversity.

Keywords: Corpus Linguistics; Lexicography; Dictionary Making; Collocation Analysis; AntConc; LancsBox; Corpus-driven Methodology; Digital Dictionary