Reversing an African-language lexicon: the Northern Sotho Terminology and Orthography No. 4 as a case in point

Abstract

The aim of this aiticle is to give a perspective on the required strategies and the potential difficulties involved in reversing a unidirectional bilingual dictionary with an African language as the target language. This will be done by means of a full-scale case study of the (hypothetical) reversal of the Northern Sotho Terminology and Orthography No. 4. It will be pointed out that the African languages do indeed pose unique problems—difficulties that emanate directly from the structure of those languages. It will also be shown that the use of the forward slash causes particular additional complications. The discussion is preceded by an overview of the main issues involved in the compilation of (bidirectional) bilingual dictionaries with the focus on the different types of equivalence relations on the one hand and the reversibility principle on the other.

Senaganwa

Maikemišetšo a sengwalwana se ke go fa ponelopele go maano ao a nyakegago le go mathata ao a ka rarollwago a amanego le go fetošetša pukuntšu ya maleme a mabedi yeo e amago leleme le tee go pukuntšu yeo e tla lebelelago leleme la Afrika ge go fetošwa. Se se tlo dirwa ka go badišiša le go lekolla Sesotho sa Leboa mareo le mongwalo No.4 yeo e fetošitšwego ka botlalo. Go tla laetšwa gore maleme a Afrika a na le mathata a a itšego, ao a tšwago go sebopego sa ona. Go tla bontšhwa gape gore tšhomišo ya leswao le (/) e tliša tšharakano ye e itšeng godimo ga mathata ao a lego gona. Pele ga poledišano go tla ba le tlhalošo ye kopana ya ditaba tše bohlokwa tšeo di amanago le go hlama pukuntšu ya maleme a mabedi (e lebeletše maleme ao ka bobedi) ka tsinkelo go mehuta yeo e fapanego ya kamano ya tekantšho gape le taba ya phetošo ya pukuntšu ya maleme a mabedi.