The Foreign Culture Lexicography and Its Implications for the History of African Lexicography

Chinedu Uchechukwu (University of Munich)

Email: neduchi@yahoo.com

 

ABSTRACT:

Foreign Culture Lexicography refers to the tradition of writing lexicographic works on African languages with the aim of delivering as much information as possible about the 'foreign cultures' of the different African folks (Ayivi 2000). Regardless of the region of Africa concerned, the dictionaries of the different African languages written with this approach have a similar thread running through them (Hartmann 1990). This has led to all sorts of reactions arising now and again from native speakers of some of the languages (Gouws/Bergenholtz 2006).

This paper aims at using the example of Igbo lexicography (Uchechukwu 2006) to not only illustrate this point, but to also indicate a possible path out of the sometimes unpleasant situation.

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References:

• Ayivi, C. K. 2000. Zweisprachige Lexikographie. Münster: Waxmann Verlag.
• Gouws, Rufus H. & Bergenhooltz, Henning 2006. 'Lexicography and Language Policy.' 11th International Conference of African Association for Lexicography, University of Venda for Science and Technology, Thohoyandou, Republic of South Africa, 3-7 July 2006.
• Hartmann, R.R.K. 1990. Lexicography in Africa . Exeter: University of Exeter Press.
• Uchechukwu, C. 2006. Grammatiktheorie mit lexikograhischem Ausblick. München: Lincom Verlag.