A language-for-specific-purposes dictionary (LSP dictionary) is a

reference work A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...

which defines the specialised vocabulary used by experts within a particular field, for example, architecture. The discipline that deals with these

dictionaries A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, p ...

is specialised lexicography.

Medical dictionaries A medical dictionary is a lexicon for words used in medicine. The three major medical dictionaries in the United States are '' Stedman's'', ''Taber's'', and ''Dorland's''. Other significant medical dictionaries are distributed by Elsevier. Dict ...

are well-known examples of the type.

Users

As described in Bergenholtz/Tarp 1995, LSP dictionaries are often made for users who are already specialists with a subject field (experts), but may also be made for semi-experts and laypeople. In contrast to LSP dictionaries, LGP (language for general purposes) dictionaries are made to be used by an average user. LSP dictionaries may have one or more functions. LSP dictionaries may have communicative functions, such as helping users to understand, translate and produce texts. Dictionaries may also have cognitive functions such as helping users to develop knowledge in general or about a specific topic, such as the birthday of a famous person and the inflectional paradigm of a specific verb.

Different types

According to

Sandro Nielsen Sandro Nielsen (born 1961) is a Danish metalexicographer, Associate Professor at Centre for Lexicography at the Aarhus School of Business, Denmark, from where he received his PhD in 1992. Nielsen has contributed to lexicography as a theoretical a ...

,Nielsen (1994). LSP dictionaries may cover one language (monolingual) or two languages (bilingual), and occasionally more (multilingual). An LSP dictionary that attempts to cover as much of the vocabulary in a subject field as possible is classified by Nielsen as a maximizing dictionary, and one that attempts to cover a limited number of terms within a subject field is a minimizing dictionary. Also, Nielsen 1994 distinguishes between the following types of dictionaries: An LSP dictionary that covers more than one subject field is called a

multi-field dictionary A multi-field dictionary is a specialized dictionary that has been designed and compiled to cover the terms within two or more subject fields. Multi-field dictionaries should be contrasted with single-field dictionaries and sub-field dictionarie ...

, an LSP dictionary that covers one subject field (e.g. a dictionary of law) is called a

single-field dictionary A single-field dictionary is a specialized dictionary that has been designed and compiled to cover the terms of one particular subject field. Single-field dictionaries should be contrasted with multi-field dictionaries and sub-field dictionaries ...

, and an LSP dictionary that covers part of a subject field (e.g. a dictionary of contract law) is called a

sub-field dictionary A sub-field dictionary is a specialized dictionary that has been designed and compiled to cover the terms of one (or possibly more) sub-fields of a particular subject field. It is therefore a sub-division of the class of dictionary called a singl ...

Usage dictionaries

A common form of LSP dictionary is a usage dictionary for a particular field or

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

, such as journalism, providing advice on words and phrases to prefer, and distinctions between easily confused usages. Probably the best known of these for

news style News style, journalistic style, or news-writing style is the prose style used for news reporting in media such as newspapers, radio and television. News writing attempts to answer all the basic questions about any particular event—who, what, wh ...

writing is the ''

AP Stylebook The ''AP Stylebook'', also known by its full name ''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', is an American English grammar style and usage guide created by American journalists working for or connected with the Associated Pr ...

''. Many such works also have elements of a

style guide A style guide or manual of style is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. It is often called a style sheet, although that term also has multiple other meanings. The standards can be applied either for gene ...

, though most of the latter are not in dictionary format, but arranged as a series of rules in sections, and more concerned with grammar and punctuation. Some usage dictionaries are intended for a general rather than specialized audience, and are therefore more comprehensive; two major ones are ''

Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage ''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Covering topics such as plurals and literary technique, distinctions among like words ...

'' and ''

Garner's Modern English Usage ''Garner's Modern English Usage'' (''GMEU''), written by Bryan A. Garner and published by Oxford University Press, is a usage dictionary and style guide (or 'prescriptive dictionary') for contemporary Modern English. It was first published in 1 ...

''.

References

Citations

Sources

(1994): ''The Bilingual LSP Dictionary'', Gunter Narr Verlag. *

Henning Bergenholtz Henning John Bergenholtz (born 26 August 1944) is a Danish linguist, who is head of Center for Lexicography at Aarhus School of Business in Denmark. Professor Bergenholtz has contributed to lexicography as a science with publications on theoretica ...

/Sven Tarp (eds.) (1995): ''Manual of Specialised Lexicography'', Benjamins. *

(2010): Specialised Translation Dictionaries for Learners. In: P. A. Fuertes-Olivera (ed.): ''Specialised Dictionaries for Learners'', de Gruyter (Lexicographica. Series Maior 136), 69-82.

External links

Short annotated list of publicationsBrief explanation for using Wikipedia to translate subject-specific vocabulary
{{Lexicography Lexicography Dictionaries by type