What it means to be a lexicographer
What it means to be a lexicographer

Summary/Abstract: In this paper I will present some reflections and analyses, and draw some conclusions, basedon my own activity as a linguist and lexicographer. I will speak neither about bilingual ormultilingual lexicography, nor about specialised, terminological dictionaries (that is lexiconsconcerning different domains: juridical, scientific, medical, IT, etc.), because I have no workexperience in this respect. I will speak about general, purely linguistic (non-terminological)dictionaries. There will be two main directions: i) Linguistic dictionaries which deal withcontemporary language, intended for the general public. Mono-volume dictionaries like thewell-known DEX represent this type. The main characteristics of this type of dictionaries arerelated to their synchronic, explanatory, and normative approach(es); ii) Linguisticdictionaries, which treat the language in variation from different points of view: diachronic,dialectal, stylistic, etc. This type is intended mainly for the specialists, and it is represented bymulti-volume dictionaries like DA/DLR, DELR and others. Their main characteristics are linked totheir variational (diachronic or historic, dialectal, etc.), explanatory and etymologicalapproach(es). The main axis of variation considered is diachronic or historic, and that is why thistype of lexicography is usually labelled as diachronic or historic lexicography. But personally Iprefer to label it as variational lexicography. “Variational” includes “diachronic”, as well as thevariation in respect with other axes. I will focus my attention mostly on the theoretical andmethodological principles defining the approaches that differentiate the two main types oflinguistic dictionaries mentioned above.

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