Bilingual dictionary for a specific user group : supporting Setswana speakers in the production and reception of English

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the design of a new English to Setswana dictionary for two narrowly defined target user groups of Setswana learners, i.e. Upper Primary (10 to 12 years old); and Junior Secondary (13 to 15 years old). The dictionary is intended to be a guide to text and speech production in the foreign language L2 (English) and the reception of English text and speech in L1 (Setswana). A general consideration concerns the relationship between the treatment of English and that of Setswana. As English is to be treated as a priority, many more data types will be made available for English than for Setswana. Furthermore, we will assess the possibility of producing a bilingual learners’ dictionary with rather imbalanced parts: for production in (and translation into) English, a detailed description of individual items is needed, whereas for reception (and translation) from English, a large list of treatment units is necessary, albeit with less elaborate descriptive detail. The design also aims at strong guidance through the mother tongue, Setswana. Two possible scenarios are considered, namely separate dictionaries for the two target groups or a single dictionary to serve the lexicographic needs of both target groups. Socio-economic circumstances of most of the learners are such that buying more than one dictionary is not a realistic option, and they find themselves in a pre-dictionary culture with the resultant lack of dictionary using skills. The dictionary/dictionaries will be for paper dictionaries. The focus is on bilingualized (BLD) and extended bilingual (EBL) dictionaries as basic design options. We envisage an imbalanced design where guidance in terms of both production and reception is focused on English. Our design aims at the maximum utilization of the physical space in a paper dictionary with coverage of at least 90% of both English and Setswana.