Lexicography as a philosophy of language

Seargeant, Philip (2011). Lexicography as a philosophy of language. Language Sciences, 33(1) pp. 1–10.

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DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link:	http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.langsci.2010.06.002
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Abstract

This article analyses the presuppositions about language upon which lexicography is built, and examines the linguistic ideologies to which dictionary projects in turn contribute. The contention is that dictionaries produce and reproduce specific and historically contingent beliefs about language, which are then co-opted into wider social and political practice such as the reification of national linguistic difference by national dictionary projects. To explore this contention, the article surveys the claims made by lexicographic projects and analyses the ways in which this ‘lexicographic ideology’ is invoked in a selection of political initiatives and philosophical works.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Copyright Holders:	2010 Elsevier Ltd
ISSN:	0388-0001
Keywords:	dictionary; language conceptualisation; Georges Bataille; national language; scriptism; world Englishes
Academic Unit/Department:	Education and Language Studies > Centre for Language and Communication
Interdisciplinary Research Centre:	Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET)
Item ID:	22241
Depositing User:	Philip Seargeant
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2010 10:23
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2012 14:49
URI:	http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/22241

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