LSP dictionaries and their genuine purposea frame-based example from MARCOCOSTA

Resumen

A dictionary is written and designed for a specific addresse (user group). Primary considerations in this respect are users. profiles and the special needs of the user group (Bergenholz and Nielsen 2006). User needs are inevitably linked to the knowledge level of potential readers, who have a situational context and engage in activities, which can be facilitated by lexicographic data. Such information significantly affects both the micro and macrostructural design of the lexical resource, and is directly related to Wiegand.s conception of genuine purpose (Wiegand 1998:52). These theoretical parameters dealing with users. profiles, users. needs and use situation should necessarily be reflected in the way information is packed in lexicographical entries, i.e. in the way definitions are organized and structured. This article examines how LSP dictionaries deal with this issue. The example chosen is the term aquifer. After a brief overview of how this term appears in current dictionaries, we show how it is represented in MarcoCosta, a frame-based lexical resource that facilitates the acquisition of specialized knowledge.