Guidelines on how to evaluate dictionaries

What is it about?

Dictionaries are much more than mere vessels of linguistic categories, namely lexicographical tools that have been developed to fulfil specific types of needs of specific types of users in specific types of situations in the real world. This is in line with the modern understanding of lexicography as a discipline concerned with the compilation, design, evaluation and use of dictionaries, which focus on lexicography, subject-fields, words, and terms.

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Why is it important?

This paper contains an outline of general theoretical and practical principles that underlie the true nature of dictionary reviews, and places the reviews in a lexicographical universe. A set of generally applicable principles may lead the discourse community to accept dictionary reviews as an important part of the scholarly discourse. Finally, a review should give a fair presentation of the dictionary and this aim may be achieved if the issues addressed are relevant and material, if the criticism is reliable, and if the reviewer treats the dictionary and authors in an unbiased way.

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