Nondictionary

Nondictionary is a term used in linguistic and literary discourse to describe a proposed or fictional type of lexical reference work that focuses on words and usages not captured by conventional dictionaries. Rather than prescribing canonical meanings, a nondictionary tends to document what language users actually say and write, including nonce words, neologisms, slang, dialect forms, and obsolete or contested terms.

Scope and formats: A nondictionary can take various forms, from a digital database to a printed glossary, and may emphasize usage, attestation, and social context over fixed definitions. Typical entry fields may include the headword, part of speech, geographic or social variant, first attestation, example citations, pronunciation, and notes on semantics or pragmatics.

Purpose: The aim is to illuminate lexical gaps, track language evolution, and provide resources for writers, translators, and researchers who want to study real-world language beyond prescriptive lexicography.

Organization and criteria: Because there is no single standard for inclusion, nondictionaries are often experimental. Some prioritize transparency about uncertainty, include speculative or contested meanings, and label entries as nonstandard or hypothetical. Others strive to preserve endangered terms or to gather data from underrepresented speech communities.

Relation to other concepts: The concept intersects with lexicography, corpus linguistics, and dialectology, and is sometimes discussed in opposition to or as a supplement to traditional dictionaries and thesauri. While not widely established as a formal publication, nondictionaries appear in discussions of language documentation, creative writing, and linguistic methodology.