Browsing by Author "Gouws, Rufus"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Lexicographical contextualization and personalization : a new perspective
    (Bureau of the WAT, 2019) Tarp, Sven; Gouws, Rufus
    Contextualization, i.e. to provide solutions to users' information needs directly in the situation or context where these needs occur, played a significant role in the work of the Greek scribes who inserted glosses into manuscript copies of the works of Homer and other earlier writers in order to explain obsolete and unusual words. After the invention of the glossary, a schism developed within lexicography. On the one hand, there was the new compilation of glossaries and dictionaries of a still more complex and sophisticated nature. On the other hand, there was the traditional insertion of glosses into manuscript copies of books from previous periods. Although the advent of dictionaries diminished the use of contextualization procedures they were still adhered to in some publications. This paper discusses the occurrence of contextualization and personalization procedures in different eras and environments and it is shown how these procedures also introduced a lexicographic practice to some extra-dictionary environments. The importance of contextualization and personalization in modern-day lexicography is stressed. Lexicographers often have had unfulfilled dreams of new possibilities within the digital environment. However, the lack of adequate technology has made their dreams impossible – at that stage. Today new technologies and collaboration between lexicography and information science offer numerous new challenges that can be met by lexicographers. It is shown how lexicographical products being integrated into information tools little by little are closing the more than two thousand year old schism in European lexicography, i.e. reuniting contextualization and personalization. Lexicographers, the modern-day scribes, have to endeavour to make the seemingly impossible possible.
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    Makrostruktuuraanpassings vanaf gedrukte na e-woordeboeke
    (Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, 2014-09) Gouws, Rufus
    AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die heersende leksikografieteorie is primer ontwerp vir gedrukte woordeboeke. Aanpassings is nodig om 'n omvattende teorie te he wat vir sowel gedrukte as e-woordeboeke voorsiening maak. Vir 'n algemene leksikografieteorie moet modelle ontwikkel word vir die leksikografiese strukture in e-woordeboeke. Hierdie artikel fokus op een van hierdie strukture, te wete die makrostruktuur. Makrostrukture in gedrukte woordeboeke word bespreek, en daar word aandag gegee aan verskeie ordeningstrukture in e-woordeboeke wat makrostrukturele kenmerke vertoon. Die gebruik van alfabetbalke en die voorkoms van artikeltrajekte en deeltrajekte, asook lemmatrajekte en lemmadeeltrajekte, word ondersoek. Daar word aangetoon dat, alhoewel e-woordeboeke nie tradisionele makrostrukture het nie, daar wel eksterne datatoeganklikheid is, onder meer danksy die gebruik van ordeningstrukture met behulp waarvan die makrostrukturele elemente bereik kan word. Aanpassings vanaf gedrukte woordeboeke het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van eiesoortige kenmerke vir hierdie ordeningstrukture van e-woordeboeke.
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    Reference skills or human-centered design : towards a new lexicographical culture
    (Bureau of the WAT, 2020) Tarp, Sven; Gouws, Rufus
    This paper deals with the design of digital lexicographical products. It introduces the philosophy of human-centered design, as explained in the work of Don Norman, and discusses central design concepts like affordances, signifiers, feedback, and other forms of good communication from lexicographer to user. The successful use of traditional dictionaries often relied on the presumed reference skills of the envisaged target user group. Especially in printed dictionaries with their space restrictions, lexicographers used condensed entries, abbreviations, and different types of structural indicators to save space. This often was to the detriment of the user who struggled to retrieve the required information from the data on offer. The digital environment has created new opportunities for lexicographers to assist their users in a far better way. Using principles of human-centered design, this paper shows the emergence of the application of some of these approaches in existing online dictionaries. Going beyond the scope of traditional online dictionaries, examples are taken from integrated e-reading dictionaries and lexicography-assisted writing assistants where even stronger user-centered design features come to the fore with regard to respectively text reception and text production assistance. Where the original concept of a dictionary culture was primarily based on the reference skills of the user, a new lexicographical culture is suggested that adheres to human-centered design principles. It places the responsibility on the shoulders of the lexicographer to design lexicographic products that enable intuitive use and ensure improved lexicographic success.
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    Verhoogde leksikografiese toeganklikheid in die oorgang van n toeristewoordeboek na n toeristegids as naslaanbron
    (Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, 2009-03) Gouws, Rufus; Leroyer, Patrick
    AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontwikkeling van die leksikografi eteorie is daarop gerig om die produksie van beter woordeboeke te verseker. As naslaanbronne het woordeboeke ’n bepaalde data-aanbod, vertoon hulle sekere leksikografi ese strukture en moet hulle bepaalde leksikografi ese funksies bevredig. Talle aspekte van die teoretiese leksikografi e sou ook gebruik kon word in die beplanning en samestelling van ander naslaanbronne. In hierdie bydrae word gewys hoe bepaalde beginsels uit die teoretiese leksikografi e vir die daarstelling van ander naslaanbronne benut kan word. ’n Verhoging in die toegang tot data en ’n doeltreffender onttrekking van inligting word in die vooruitsig gestel in die geval waar bestaande toeristewoordeboeke opgeneem word in omvattender toeristegidse wat volgens ’n geleksikografi seerde benadering saamgestel is. Die fokus is op die benutting van leksikografi ese funksies en op ’n erkenning aan verskillende onderafdelings van die toegangsproses in naslaanbronne.
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    Woordeboekdidaktiek in ’n omvattende woordeboekkultuur
    (AOSIS, 2018) Gouws, Rufus
    Dictionary didactics within a comprehensive dictionary culture. This article argues that the curricula of language and linguistics departments should include a component on lexicography. It is indicated that within a comprehensive dictionary culture, users need to be familiar with a variety of dictionary types and need to be able to execute a successful retrieval of information from the data on offer in dictionaries. A comprehensive dictionary culture has both general language and specialised dictionaries in its scope. Users need to be made aware of these dictionary types. Lexicographic training can be directed at three groups, namely dictionary users (who need to become familiar with dictionary using skills), future lexicographers (who need to master those aspects of meta-lexicography needed for the compilation of dictionaries) and future trainers of lexicography (who need a sound theoretical basis). The contents of a tertiary course in lexicography could commence with a broad context of the development of both the lexicographic practice and the theory of lexicography. A second focus could be on the contents, the different lexicographic tools, as well as the medium – printed or online format. Proposals are made for issues that could be discussed, regarding the treatment of meaning in monolingual and translation equivalents in bilingual dictionaries.