Thesis. 1975. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics. / Bibliography: leaf 97. / by George Reed, Jr. / M.S.

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In compiling and writing this dictionary the needs of the high school student and teacher interested in mathematics have been kept constantly in mind. The mathematics of the high school is perhaps the simplest of its kind and yet very few textbooks carefully define all technical terms as they are introduced. The thoughtful student may turn to an abridged or unabridged dictionary but will find in most cases that the definitions of the terms are vague, often misleading, and in some cases not given. The words in the vocabulary have been arranged in alphabetical order so that the reference to any one of them might be made in a convenient manner.

Every person who either participates in or witnesses an athletic activity acquires an interest in the definitions of the terms that have specific meaning in relation to that activity. In seeking definitions, the layman, the student, or the instructor naturally desires the simplest, most do noise, and the best understood definition at his disposal. It is with this idea in mind that I have endeavored to cover twelve sports.

Thesis (MPhil (Afrikaans and Dutch))—Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This thesis discusses pertinent issues which should be taken into account in the production of LSP dictionaries in Ndebele. Special reference is made to a prospective Ndebele Linguistic and Literary Terms Dictionary, henceforth the NLLTD. The issues discussed include lexicographic planning, data collection, data processing, lemma selection, the provision of data categories and the utilisation of dictionary structures. The thesis demonstrates and emphasises the need for theoretical guidance in the execution of all lexicographic tasks. Two main theories are used to formulate a theoretical framework for this study. A general theory of lexicography developed by Herbert Ernst Wiegand is used to affirm the status of lexicography as separate from linguistics and other fields from which it draws theoretical and methodological insights. Lexicography is, according to Wiegand (1984), a scientific field concerned with the production of reference works on language. As a typical reference product, a dictionary is regarded as a utility tool with a genuine purpose. These two postulates of the general theory of lexicography enable lexicographers to carry out their tasks in a systematic and efficient way. The postulates are emphasised in the theory of lexicographic functions, which was developed by Danish lexicographers of the Aarhus School of Business, mainly under the direction of Henning Bergenholtz and Sven Tarp. Because of this, the theories are employed in a complementary way. Since lexicography is regarded by these theories as a separate discipline, it follows that the production of user-friendly dictionaries may not be guided exclusively by linguistic theories or other theories developed in disciplines with which lexicography comes into contact. It is important to reiterate this regarding terminological theories and special subject field theories in the case of LSP lexicography. The theory of lexicographic functions requires lexicographers to identify the target users of their dictionaries, and the situations in which the users may experience problems that may be addressed by means of lexicographic data. It determines dictionary typological choices, lemma selection policies, the provision of lexicographic data for individual lemmata, and the planning and utilisation of dictionary structures in a user-friendly way. The main motivation for the complementary use of the general theory of lexicography and the theory of lexicographic functions in this thesis was to ensure that efficiency is achieved on the part of the lexicographer carrying out his/her various lexicographic tasks and also on the part of the user consulting the final product. Although this is demonstrated in the thesis using the prospective NLLTD, the criticism of some published dictionaries indicates that their quality could have been improved if their production occurred under such a strong theoretical guidance. An attempt is also made to show that similar theoretical applications are definitely required in the production of LSP dictionaries other than the NLLTD in Ndebele and other languages.

Thesis (DLitt (English)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The policy to preserve and implement mother tongues as medium of education in Gabon will lead to the establishing of a bilingual education system. This system will involve mother tongues and French, the official language. In many countries people are nowadays more and more aware of making provision for a multilingual education. In education this has been regarded as the new way and key to development over the last decades. It means that the implementation of a bilingual education system must also include a trilingual vision. Different and new approaches to the role of dictionaries, also in the context in Gabon, lead to diverse areas of particular concern, which are challenging for the metalexicographical research. Accordingly, Part I of the dissertation first presents a comprehensive draft of the structural possibilities of the formulation and compilation of a new type of dictionary. This draft provides for the motivations for the formulation of a Specialized Fang-French- English multi-volume School Dictionary in Gabon, as a type of dictionary, which can fit into the current situation of the national languages and education in Gabon. This comprehensive draft is followed by a complete analysis of the intended target users, who are, among others, students, teachers, educational psychologists, experts in charge of the compilation of textbooks and other study materials, lexicographers and linguistics. This analysis includes the characteristics, the user situations and the user problems or needs of this heterogeneous intended target user group of the proposed dictionary...

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates various data-driven techniques by which pronunciation dictionaries can be automatically augmented. First, well-established grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) conversion techniques are evaluated for Standard South African English (SSAE), British English (RP) and American English (GenAm) by means of four appropriate dictionaries: SAEDICT, BEEP, CMUDICT and PRONLEX. Next, the decision tree algorithm is extended to allow the conversion of pronunciations between different accents by means of phoneme-to-phoneme (P2P) and grapheme-andphoneme- to-phoneme (GP2P) conversion. P2P conversion uses the phonemes of the source accent as input to the decision trees. GP2P conversion further incorporates the graphemes into the decision tree input. Both P2P and GP2P conversion are evaluated using the four dictionaries. It is found that, when the pronunciation is needed for a word not present in the target accent, it is substantially more accurate to modify an existing pronunciation from a different accent, than to derive it from the word’s spelling using G2P conversion. When converting between accents, GP2P conversion provides a significant further increase in performance above P2P. Finally, experiments are performed to determine how large a training dictionary is required in a target accent for G2P, P2P and GP2P conversion. It is found that GP2P conversion requires less training data than P2P and substantially less than G2P conversion. Furthermore, it is found that very little training data is needed for GP2P to perform at almost maximum accuracy. The bulk of the accuracy is achieved within the initial 500 words, and after 3000 words there is almost no further improvement. Some specific approaches to compiling the best training set are also considered. By means of an iterative greedy algorithm an optimal ranking of words to be included in the training set is discovered. Using this set is shown to lead to substantially better GP2P performance for the same training set size in comparison with alternative approaches such as the use of phonetically rich words or random selections. A mere 25 words of training data from this optimal set already achieve an accuracy within 1% of that of the full training dictionary. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek verskeie data-gedrewe tegnieke waarmee uitspraakwoordeboeke outomaties aangevul kan word. Eerstens word gevestigde grafeem-na-foneem (G2P) omskakelingstegnieke ge¨evalueer vir Standaard Suid-Afrikaanse Engels (SSAE), Britse Engels (RP) en Amerikaanse Engels (GenAm) deur middel van vier geskikte woordeboeke: SAEDICT, BEEP, CMUDICT en PRONLEX. Voorts word die beslissingsboomalgoritme uitgebrei om die omskakeling van uitsprake tussen verskillende aksente moontlik te maak, deur middel van foneem-na-foneem (P2P) en grafeem-en-foneem-na-foneem (GP2P) omskakeling. P2P omskakeling gebruik die foneme van die bronaksent as inset vir die beslissingsbome. GP2P omskakeling inkorporeer verder die grafeme by die inset. Beide P2P en GP2P omskakeling word evalueer deur middel van die vier woordeboeke. Daar word bevind dat wanneer die uitspraak benodig word vir ’n woord wat nie in die teikenaksent teenwoordig is nie, dit bepaald meer akkuraat is om ’n bestaande uitspraak van ’n ander aksent aan te pas, as om dit af te lei vanuit die woord se spelling met G2P omskakeling. Wanneer daar tussen aksente omgeskakel word, gee GP2P omskakeling ’n verdere beduidende verbetering in akkuraatheid bo P2P. Laastens word eksperimente uitgevoer om die grootte te bepaal van die afrigtingswoordeboek wat benodig word in ’n teikenaksent vir G2P, P2P en GP2P omskakeling. Daar word bevind dat GP2P omskakeling minder afrigtingsdata as P2P en substansieel minder as G2P benodig. Verder word dit bevind dat baie min afrigtingsdata benodig word vir GP2P om teen bykans maksimum akkuraatheid te funksioneer. Die oorwig van die akkuraatheid word binne die eerste 500 woorde bereik, en n´a 3000 woorde is daar amper geen verdere verbetering nie. ’n Aantal spesifieke benaderings word ook oorweeg om die beste afrigtingstel saam te stel. Deur middel van ’n iteratiewe, gulsige algoritme word ’n optimale rangskikking van woorde bepaal vir insluiting by die afrigtingstel. Daar word getoon dat deur hierdie stel te gebruik, substansieel beter GP2P gedrag verkry word vir dieselfde grootte afrigtingstel in vergelyking met alternatiewe benaderings soos die gebruik van foneties-ryke woorde of lukrake seleksies. ’n Skamele 25 woorde uit hierdie optimale stel gee reeds ’n akkuraatheid binne 1% van di´e van die volle afrigtingswoordeboek.

Thesis (DLitt (Afrikaans and Dutch))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT:In the field of the science of language, dictionaries have always been part of a standardisation process. They are also part of the expansion, the development and the promotion of languages in societies. On the other hand, the education system is an important partner for both foreign language teaching and the development of local languages in countries with a weak written tradition like Gabon. It is a strong platform for the production of dictionaries because it includes the diffusion and the application of school programmes and school manuals. Therefore, it is relevant for the Gabonese population to rely on a well-established lexicographic tradition to preserve and promote their local languages. Introducing dictionaries in the field of education can ensure this. Dictionaries have to be compiled in the Gabonese languages for Gabonese pupils learning those languages. Because each culture encourages the development of dictionaries suitable to particular difficulties, dictionaries compiled in Gabonese languages have to be made according to the Gabonese situation. The present dissertation will present a model for a bilingual school dictionary involving Yipunu, one of the Gabonese languages, and French. The aim will be to develop a model, based on metalexicographical principles, applicable to the Gabonese context. In this model the French section of the dictionary will not be active. The frame structure required in the compilation of such a model will contain a front matter, a back matter and a central list. Even if there are two treated languages, the dominant language in this dictionary will be Yipunu. French will appear only as translation equivalents. And for the convenience of the target users, the model will describe the content of a polyfunctional monodirectional bilingual Yipunu/French dictionary for Yipunu learners.

Although, to a great extent, research has been done on pictorial illustrations in other text types, research into their use in dictionaries has been relatively limited. This study looks at the inclusion of pictorial illustrations in dictionaries with a special emphasis on African Language dictionaries. Ostensive addressing is an important lexicographic tool as it aids the lexicographer in conveying all the necessary details of the lemma and thus go a long way in making the dictionary a useful resource. In African Language dictionaries in particular, this is a good technique to express several of the concepts that probably do not have an equivalent in another language or are culture-specific. This can be attributed to the fact that the use of illustrations not only saves much needed space but also aids the lexicographer in defining the lemma thus leaving little room for misinterpretation. A survey of the African language dictionaries reveals that very few of these dictionaries do actually employ pictorial illustrations. This study argues that lexicographers need to consider this technique as an important element of dictionary compilation. / Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / African Languages / unrestricted

Since the publication of Dr. Johnson’s first English dictionary in 1755, there have been rapid changes in the development of dictionaries in other parts of the world. However, the advances are perceived more in other languages of the world such as the European languages while in Africa, the changes have been very slow. The majority of dictionaries utilised by most Africans are bilingual and were produced by the missionaries. These dictionaries were aimed at serving the needs of the missionaries, but more recently African scholars have been trying to create dictionaries that are intended to meet the needs of the native speakers particularly because the existing dictionaries contain many words which are archaic or going out of use. This means that the currently produced dictionaries should reflect the changes that have occurred in languages and society. The two dictionaries under scrutiny, Sesuto-English Dictionary and Sethantšo sa Sesotho, share similar content as if they were both targeting the same generation even though the former was written by missionaries in the 19th century while the latter was created by a Sesotho native speaker in the 21st century. This study aimed to establish whether the two dictionaries are the same or not, or whether Sethantšo sa Sesotho had been derived from Sesuto-English Dictionary as well as whether the two dictionaries meet the needs of the contemporary users. The study employed adaptation theory in order to discover the originality of Sethantšo sa Sesotho. User-perspective approach and communication-oriented function were utilised to judge the effectiveness of the two dictionaries in reading and writing and to analyse users’ views. The study established that Sethantšo sa Sesotho has adapted 69% lexical items from Sesuto-English Dictionary; words are arranged in a similar order in both dictionaries with slight differences here and there; most definitions and illustrative phrases/sentences are the same even though the author of Sethantšo sa Sesotho did not acknowledge using any written source of information, thus violating the principles of adaptation; use of these dictionaries during reading and writing was found to be beneficial to users; and both dictionaries lack current words which users encounter daily. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil.(African Languages)