ON THE NOUNS USED FOR DICTIONARIES IN THE EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

Abstract

In this study which analyzes nouns given to dictionary in the European languages, brief information for these languages are given in the beginning by demonstrating certain dictionary names in these languages. Then, the meanings, origins, structures, types of the nouns for the dictionaries like glossary, lexicon, thesaurus, dictionary, vocabulary, Wortschatz, wordbook, Wörterbuch, slovár’ are given and their differences are explained. At the end of the study, it is understood that the dictionary names in the European languages started with Greek originated words (glossary, lexicon, thesaurus), continued its development with Latin words (dictionary, vocabulary) coexisting the Greek ones, and finally matured with national dictionary names (Wortschatz, wordbook, Wörterbuch, slovár’). Differences may also be observed depending on the preparation purposes of these dictionaries. Moreover, it is also observable that a dictionary name in a dominant language representing a language family can be found in the other relative languages or in the languages of the small communities either in the same or a different form. It is understood that the names of dictionaries are based upon the nouns like ‘voice, word, treasure’, or the verbs like ‘explain, say, hide, voice’. For instance, glossary ‘book of explained words’ (gloss ‘to explain’, glōssa ‘language, word to be explained’); lexicon ‘word list’ (légein, ‘to speak’, leksi-s ‘a saying, spoken word’); thesaurus ‘treasure, word treasure’ (thē ‘hide’); dictionary ‘wordbook’ (dīcere ‘to say’); vocabulary ‘word treasure’ (vōx, vōc- ‘voice, to voice’, vocā-re, ‘voice, call’); Wortschatz ‘word treasure’ (wer ‘to say’); (wer ‘to say’); Wörterbuch ‘wordbook’ (wer ‘to say’); slovár’ ‘dictionary’ (sloviti ‘to say’, slov ‘word’ [<zvuk ‘sound’])The aim of this study is to analyse nouns used to denote dictionaries in the European languages. In the study, those nouns are shown on a diagram by giving their form in the European languages, and, respectively, their meanings, origins, structures, types and works in which these names are encountered are given and their differences are explained. I. Glossary¸ At the end of the Middle Age, in order to make the old, closed, incomprehensive Latin words more understandable, word explanations between the lines were started to be given. To make Latin texts more readable, word explanations and commentaries (glosses) were collected in the index (glossary) which explained meanings of words and terms mostly in a single alphabetic list, like in the 8th century Corpus Glossary. Consequently, glossaries transmitted from the Greek to other European languages were prepared as small dictionaries which explained old or incomprehensible or foreign words with new words. The root of glossary comes from the Latin gloss meaning “a commentary, explanation. The word is originally Greek and it was transmitted to Latin from Greek. Greek γλῶσσα [glōssa] is the ‘tongue’; also, ‘a tongue’, ‘language’, ‘a word needing explanation’. In Latin, glōssa means ‘a difficult word (closed, obscure) requiring explanation’. In the Middle English, it was used with single s as glose; however, the verb glosen meaning ‘to explain, to comment; to make between the line explanation’ was more common than the noun. This ME. glose is from the OF. glose, ‘a glosse’; Cot. But the L. from glosse (with double s) was subtituted for the F. form in the 16th century. Its derivatives; gloss, (verb); gloze, gloss-ar-y, glosso-graphy, glosso-logy; glottis. Greek originated word glossary is used in Latin as glōssārium, in English as glossary, in German as Glossar, in French as glossair, in Italian as glossario, in Spanish as glosario, in Portuguese as glossário, in Dutch as glossarium, in Swedish as glossar, in Norwegian as glossar. The word glossary has been in use since the antiquity and from its roots many words have been derived for dictionary terminology. For instance, glossarial mean ‘peculiar to explanation, of dictionary; annotative, interpretive; small dictionary or like’; glossography, means ‘explanation, interpretation; small dictionary collection; writing small dictionary, writing glossary; a work on language’; glossarist, glosser, glossist, glossator, glossographer ‘one who explains and comments; one who interprets the laws of the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages; small dictionary editor; glossary writer, lexicographer’. II. Lexicon, is a word used for dictionary generally in ancient languages like in Europe Greek, Latin, Arami, Hebrew, Assyrian and Arabic. As known, the dictionary written by the Byzantine Aristophanes (257? -?180 B.C.), the director of the Library of Alexandria, is called Lexicon. This dictionary provides definitions and a list for rare and difficult Greek words. Leg, to collect; hence, to put together, to read. Gk. λέγєιν [légein] to collect, read, L. leg-ere, to read, de-lec-tus, choice, lec-tus, chosen. Ex. logic, eclogue, syllogism, and the suffix –logy; legend, legion, elect, delight, &c. “Lexicon, a dictionary. (Gk.) In Blount’s Gloss., ed. 1674. – Gk. λεξικόν (with βιβλίον, a book, understood), a lexicon; properly neut. of λεξικόs, adj., of or for words. – Gk. λέξι-s, a saying, speech. – Gk. λέγειν, to speak; see Legend. Der. lexico-graph-y, lexico-graph-i-c-al, lexicograph-i-c-al-ly, lexico-graph-er; all from γράφειν, to write; see Graphic.” Lexicon [lek'sikən] n. a dictionary (usu. applied to Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or Syriac)… Gk. lexikon, orig. neut. of lexikos, pertaining to words, from lexis, a saying, a word, from legein, to speak. Greek originated word lexikón is lexicon in Latin, Lexikon in German, lexique in French, lexiconv in English, lessico in Italian, lexicon in Romanian, lexicon in Dutch, лeкcикoн (=lexikon) in Russian, lexikon in Swedish, leksikon in Norwegian, leksikonas in Lithuanian. The word Lexicon has also provided words for dictionary terminology. For example, lexicology, science of words, is a branch of science study

Özet

Avrupa dillerinde sözlüklere verilen adların incelendiği bu çalışmada önce belli başlı dillerdeki sözlük adları gösterilerek bu diller hakkında kısa bilgiler verilmiştir. Sonra Avrupa dillerindeki glossary, lexicon, thesaurus, dictionary, vocabulary, Wortschatz, wordbook, Wörterbuch, slovár' gibi sözlük adlarının anlamı, kökeni, yapısı, türevleri, adların geçtiği eserler verilip aralarındaki farklar açıklanmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonunda, Avrupa dillerindeki sözlük adlarının Grekçe kökenli sözlüklerle (glossary, lexicon, thesaurus) başladığı, bunları da kullanmakla birlikte Latince sözlüklerle (dictionary, vocabulary) devam ederek geliştiği, ulusal dillerin sözlük adlarıyla (Wortschatz, anlaşılmaktadır. Bu sözlüklerin hazırlanış amaçlarına göre aralarında birtakım farklar olduğu da gözlenmektedir. Ayrıca bir dil ailesini temsil eden başat dildeki sözlük adının, ailenin öteki üyelerinde ya da bu başat dilin çevresindeki küçük toplulukların dillerinde de aynı sözcüğün değişik biçimlerinin kullanıldığı görülmektedir. Sözlük adlarının kökenlerinin 'açıklamak, söylemek, saklamak, seslenmek' eylemlerine ve 'ses, söz, hazine' adlarına dayandığı anlaşılmaktadır. Glossary 'açıklanmış sözler kitabı' (gloss 'açıklamak', gl?ssa 'açıklanması gereken söz, dil); lexicon 'söz kitabı' (légein, 'söz söylemek', leksi-s 'söz söyleme, söylenen söz'); thesaurus 'hazine, söz hazinesi' (th? 'saklamak'); dictionary 'söz kitabı' (d?cere 'söylemek'); vocabulary 'söz hazinesi' (v?x, v?c- 'ses, 'seslenmek', voc?-re, 'seslenmek, çağırmak'); Wortschatz 'söz hazinesi' (wer 'söylemek'); wordbook 'söz kitabı' (wer 'söylemek'); Wörterbuch 'sözler kitabı' (wer 'söylemek'); slovár' 'sözlük' (sloviti 'söylemek', slov 'söz' [<zvuk 'ses']) anlamını taşıyan sözcüklerden yapıldığı izlenebilmektedir