What Does lexicography Mean
To know the meaning of the term lexicography it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. Thus, it must be emphasized that it derives from the Greek, specifically it is the result of the sum of three lexical components of that language:
-The word "lexikós", which means "relative to the word" and which, in turn, emanates from " lexis ”, which is synonymous with“ word ”.
-The verb “graphéin”, which can be translated as “write” or “record”.
-The suffix “-ía”.
The lexicography is the technique that allows the composition dictionaries or lexicons . The concept is also used to name the branch of linguistics dedicated to the analysis of theories that support the development of a dictionary.
Ultimately, it can be said that lexicography is the discipline that is responsible for the creation and critical study of dictionaries . A dictionary, in turn, is an ordered collection of terms or expressions, belonging to a language or a certain subject. These publications, which can be printed or electronic, present the explanation or definition of each of their entries, a task assumed by experts in lexicography.
It is important not to confuse lexicography with lexicology . This last notion refers specifically to the study of lexical units and the systematic links that are forged between them. It is often stated that lexicography aims to collect and explain words in a broad sense, while lexicology seeks to deepen these explanations.
The origins of lexicography date back to the 3rd century BC . A document that presents a glossary of the terms used in the Odyssey and the Iliad , two works attributed to Homer, dates from that time . This work is considered to be a precursor in the implementation of lexicography.
In the field of ancient history we come across works that are already considered a true example of what lexicography is. We are referring, for example, to “De significatione verborum”, which dates from the 1st century and which was made by Marcus Verrius Flaccus, and “De lingua latina”, which was also written in the 1st century, but in this case by Marcus Terentius Varro.
It was during the Middle Ages that lexicography got a great boost from the need to transmit knowledge . The discipline, within this framework, became more utilitarian and even the explanations that are added in the margins of the texts began to become frequent.
Already in the Renaissance, we have to highlight one of the most important works of lexicography of the Castilian language. We are referring to the "Latin-Spanish Dictionary", which was published in Salamanca in 1492 and was produced by the Spanish humanist Elio Antonio de Nebrija (1441 - 1522), a figure that has gone down in history as the author of the first Castilian grammar.
The dictionary that he produced, whose official title is "Lexicon hoc est Dictionarium ex sermone latino in hispaniensem", had as a clear objective "to improve the knowledge of Latin among educated people."