M. A. I english P. C3 & C6 Modern Linguistics title pmd

2.
Presentation of Subject Matter :
(a)
Approaches to Study of Meaning :
The study of meaning is an interdisciplinary enterprise and has by no means
been the sole responsibility of linguists. The present section focuses on different
approaches to the study of meaning:

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65
(A)
The Lexicographical Approach :
In the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century,
the main concern with the lexical meaning was the ways in which the form and meaning
of individual lexical items in the languages of Western Europe had been changing.
Naturally, detailed etymological studies of individual lexical items were therefore
undertaken. Modern lexicography, since its birth in 1755 with Samuel Johnson's
'Dictionary of the English Language' has changed dramatically in various ways. For
example, many different types of dictionaries are available today. On a general level, it
could be said that dictionaries have changed from being normative and prescriptive to
being descriptive records of the specific language. The focus of the dictionaries has
shifted from the etymology and pronunciation of words to their meaning and use. Most
lexicographers today believe that usage is the most significant aspect of the dictionary.
The focus of the lexicographical approach is on the lexemes (the orthographic
and/or phonetic word form), the concepts they represent (in the definition) and the
referents in the real world (with examples of a concept). The purpose of the
lexicographical approach is to record the conventionalised lexical aspects of a language
as an external object. This approach does not make any contribution to linguistic
creativity, except in the recording of productive derivational word-formation rules.