Lexicographic data boxes. Part 1. Lexicographic data boxes as text constituents in dictionaries

Abstract

This article, the first in a series of three on lexicographic data boxes, focuses primarily on the occurrence of lexicographic data boxes as text constituents in dictionaries. Following a brief look at what data boxes are, the focus shifts to the different venues where these boxes can be accommodated within the central list of a dictionary. Boxes containing items and/or item texts can be positioned within articles, or article-externally as phased-in inner texts within a partial article stretch of a dictionary. Data boxes are used to convey data that need to be highlighted and are therefore often formally marked (a coloured background or within a frame) and are put in an arti-cle slot that has a position of salience. As dictionary entries they can participate in procedures of both lemmatic and non-lemmatic addressing. It is shown that a box should preferably be inserted close to its address. In articles of polysemous words, the user should unambiguously know for which sense(s) the box is relevant. As phased-in inner texts data boxes can be addressed at a lemma within the same partial article stretch but also, in the case of synopsis boxes, at lemmata in other article stretches. This demands procedures of remote addressing.