[Lexicog] stereotypical beliefs and lexicography

[Wayne Leman]

Where do we draw the line, Fritz? My own thinking on the matter is that we do not draw the line. My preference for lexicography is to be exhaustive, and I prefer that for dictionaries also. But I believe we can mark rascist entries as being rascist, vulgar entries as vulgar, xenophobic entries as xenophobic, etc. If a term or phrase is used in a rascist manner by speakers of a language, that fact is part of its lexical information and deserves to be in a dictionary.

Wayne
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Wayne Leman
http://committed.to/fieldtesting
  Wayne and Thapelo,

  Where do we draw the line? If we have a politically correct dictionary, 
  certain entries will be marked sexist, racist, or homophobic or not even
  be mentioned. Of course, there are dictionaries of certain subcultures,
  slang or argot dictionaries.
  But if we want to produce a GENERAL dictionary for the whole population
  of an ethnic group, where do we draw the line about what to include and/
  or what to mark as slang etc.? The "positive social role"  you are talking 
  about, Wayne,  cannot consist of  expunging unwanted words and expressions
  ("unwanted" by dictionary-makers who have a certain political or whatever 
  agenda; impartiality does not really exist in these matters, as far I am
  concerned).
  Certain great books (the Bible) or authors (Shakespeare) have enriched 
  the vocabulary of English enormously. Can biassed dictionary-makers 
  expurgate the English language because such and such expressions are 
  from the Bible or from a "white dead male" (Shakespeare)? A certain 
  Thomas Bowdler, an editor in Victorian times tried to rewrite Shakespeare, 
  removing all profanity so as not to offend the sensibilities of the audiences 
  of his day (hence the term "to bowdlerize"). It did not work.
  Thapelo, can you tell me more about Terry Eagleton's position in the
  chapter of "Literary Theory"?

  Fritz Goerling

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