Lexikografii

Lexikografii, commonly translated as lexicography in English, is the discipline concerned with the compilation, editing, and study of dictionaries and other lexical reference works. It encompasses both the description of vocabulary and the practical process of presenting words and their meanings to users. The field covers planning, selection of headwords, sense division, definition writing, quality control, and updating in response to language change.

Historically, lexikografii grew from glossaries, vocabularies, and bilingual word lists. The emergence of comprehensive monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in the 17th–19th centuries marked the transition to modern lexicography. In the 20th century, the field became a formal discipline with descriptive aims: to document how language is actually used, rather than prescribe how it should be used.

Lexikografii distinguishes among dictionary types: monolingual dictionaries describing a language’s vocabulary and usage; bilingual or bidirectional dictionaries for translation; and specialized dictionaries focused on domains such as medicine, law, or slang. Core elements of a dictionary entry include the headword, part of speech, senses, definitions, examples, pronunciation, etymology, and usage notes. Lexikographers also consider user needs, frequency, and clarity, employing standardization and consistent formatting.

In modern practice, lexikografii increasingly relies on corpora and data-driven methods. Electronic dictionaries, online databases, and APIs enable rapid updates, search flexibility, and cross-language connections. The field continues to adapt to new forms of language data, including social media, multiword expressions, and semantic networks, while balancing descriptive accuracy with practical usefulness for readers, writers, translators, and researchers.