A Study in the Development of the Micro-Structure of Siraiki Dictionaries

Abstract

The current study explores and evaluates the micro-structure of the dictionaries of the Siraiki language published in Pakistan. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of all the existing dictionaries of the Siraiki language in the light of modern postulates of lexicography. This research is of qualitative nature. For the analysis of dictionaries of the Siraiki language, a check-list of the features of micro-structure of dictionary was prepared following the studies of Hartmann (1983), Bergenholtz and Trap (1995), Béjoint (2000), Hartmann (2001), Landau (2001), Jackson (2002), Bowker (2003), Ahmad (2009, 2010) and Ayoub (2020). Seventeen dictionaries and glossaries were collected from sources and were analyzed. A list of consisting of fifteen features of the micro-structure of dictionary was prepared. These dictionaries were divided into two sections: (a) dictionaries compiled before the creation of Pakistan and (b) dictionaries compiled after the creation of Pakistan. The study reported the dictionaries of the Siraiki language were found deficient regarding their micro-structure. Not a single dictionary of the Siraiki language utilized all the features of the micro-structure of dictionary. Most of the important features of the micro-structure of dictionary just like pronunciation, examples, cross reference, run-ons, inflections, derivations and senses were found absent. This study also reported that the dictionaries if the Siraiki language were found insufficient to meet the requirements of the learners and hence these dictionaries were found less user-friendly.

Key Words:      Lexicography, Dictionary, Postulates of lexicography, Micro-structure of dictionaries, Features of micro-structure, Siraiki dictionaries.