From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lexicographic information cost is a new concept within
the field of
lexicography. The term refers to the difficulties and
inconveniences that the user of a
dictionary believes or feels are associated with consulting
a particular dictionary or dictionary article. For example, the
extensive use of abbreviations in articles in order to save
space may annoy the user, because it is often difficult to read
such condensed texts and understanding the abbreviations,
thereby increasing the lexicographic information costs.
The important point in connection with lexicographic
information costs is the relation between the information costs
anticipated by the user and the information value the user
expects to gain from consulting a dictionary or dictionary
article. The more easily a user can navigate a dictionary and
its articles, the lower the information costs and, hopefully,
the more content with the dictionary the user will be. The
higher the information costs of a dictionary, the more
dissatisfied the user will be.
The concept of lexicographic information costs was first
proposed by the Danish scholar and metalexicographer
Sandro Nielsen (see below). The concept is relevant to
lexicographers when planning and making a dictionary; for the
users when consulting the dictionary; and for reviewers when
evaluating a dictionary.
Relevant literature
- Sandro Nielsen: "Mediostructures in Bilingual LSP
Dictionaries". In Lexicographica. International Annual
for Lexicography 15/1999,90-113.
- Sandro Nielsen: "Textual Condensation in the Articles of
de Gruyter Wörterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache". In H. E.
Wiegand (Hrsg.): Perspektiven der pädagogischen
Lexikographie des Deutschen II. Niemeyer 2002, 597-608.
