A Definition of Lexicography

Lexicography refers to the processes involved in the determination of word meaning and the construction of dictionaries, including but not limited to the following: designing domain specific guidelines for dictionary construction; research and gathering of old and new words and the associated quotations, etymologies and pronunciations; researching and writing of definitions; researching word usage; text encoding and formatting for storage and publication. Although dictionaries are familiar references, the work involved in producing a reliable dictionary is quite specialized. It requires a keen understanding of linguistics, dialectal variation, semantics, and word usage patterns. At TLTG we have expertise in these fields. As well, we have access to the latest research in pronunciations and maintain a database of over 100,000 current word pronunciations in both American and British English variations. We also have access to an extensive collection of texts for the analysis of word meaning, and have developed programs for assisting the lexicographer with research, data storage, and data conversion. With these resources, and the fact that we focus on a few words at a time, we can quickly go beyond the information provided by most dictionaries. That is, while they list what a word could mean at the time the dictionaries were compiled, we are able to rapidly determine what a word means right now, based on the current usage.

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