[Lexicog] Criteria for example sentences

[John Roberts]

On Tuesday, March 16, 2004 12:52 AM Ron Moe said:

> We've got lots of other nice expressions based on the behavior of dogs: "He
> bristled." "He pricked up his ears." "My tongue was hanging out." "I'm
> drooling at the thought." "Chasing your tail." "The tail wagging the dog."
> "Go at it tooth and nail." "Puppy love." "I'm in the dog house." "It's a
> dog's life." "Hot on the scent." "Sniffing around." Although these are all
> idioms, they are not so frozen that they have lost their doggish flavor.
> They still conjure up images of dogs. So should they all be made subentries
> under 'dog'? How do we link related metaphors?

These metaphors are based on the concept DOG as it is perceived in English speaking cultures. Svensén (1993) suggests that a dictionary entry should be organised around the three parameters of the linguistic sign (from Saussure) which are: expression (the form of the linguistic sign), content (meaning of the linguistic sign) and function (combination with other linguistic signs). So metaphorical extensions from the concept DOG should go under the content (meaning) part of the entry for the lexical item 'dog'.

John Roberts


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