Lexicography is the technique that makes possible the development of lexicons and dictionaries.
To know the meaning of the term lexicography, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. Thus, it must be emphasized that it derives from Greek, specifically it is the result of the sum of three lexical components of said language:
-The word lexikós , which means "relative to the word" and which, in turn, emanates from léxis , which is synonymous with "word."
-The verb graphéin , which can be translated as "write" or "record."
-The suffix -ía .
What is lexicography
Lexicography is the technique that allows the composition of dictionaries or lexicons . The concept is also used to name the branch of linguistics dedicated to the analysis of the theories that support the development of a dictionary.
It can be said, in short, that lexicography is the discipline that is responsible for the creation and critical study of dictionaries . A dictionary, in turn, is an ordered collection of terms or expressions, belonging to a language or a certain subject. These publications, which can be printed or electronic, present the explanation or definition of each of their entries, a task assumed by lexicography experts.
Differences with lexicology
It is important not to confuse lexicography with lexicology . This last notion specifically refers to the study of lexical units and the systematic links that are forged between them.
It is often stated that lexicography is aimed at collecting and explaining words in a broad sense, while lexicology seeks to deepen these explanations.
Origins of lexicography
The origins of lexicography date back to the 3rd century BC . A document dates from that time that presents a glossary of the terms used in the Odyssey and the Iliad , two works attributed to Homer . This work is considered to be a precursor to the implementation of lexicography.
In the field of ancient history we come across works that are already considered a true example of what lexicography is. We are referring, for example, to "De significatione verborum" , which dates back to the 1st century and was written by Marcus Verrius Flaccus , and to "De lingua latina" , which was also written in the 1st century , but in this case by Marcus Terentius Varro .
The branch of linguistics that studies the theories on which the development of dictionaries is based is called lexicography.
Discipline in the Middle Ages
It was during the Middle Ages that lexicography gained a great boost from the need to transmit knowledge . The discipline, in this framework, became more utilitarian and even the explanations added in the margins of the texts began to become frequent.
Already in the Renaissance , we have to highlight one of the most important works of lexicography of the Spanish language . We are referring to the "Latin-Spanish Dictionary" , which was published in Salamanca in the year 1492 and was made by the Spanish humanist Elio Antonio de Nebrija (1441-1522), a figure who has gone down in history for being the author of the first Spanish grammar.
The dictionary he created, whose official title is "Lexicon hoc est Dictionarium ex sermone latino in hispaniensem" , had as its clear objective "to improve the knowledge of Latin among educated people.