#WEEK 10: LEXICOGRAPHY

REFLECTION

What is LEXICOGRAPHY?

Lexicography means the study of words. Technically, it means the study that deals with everything concerning with words. Lexicographers are people who study lexicography. Lexicographers deal primarily with the creation and editing of dictionaries.

Based on the dictionaries created by lexicographers, language learners can read interpretations and meanings of the target language. An example of a dictionary used by most UIA students is called Kamus Al-Farid that provide meanings of Arabic words in both English and Malay. It also provide the way to use Arabic together with the explanations syntactically and grammatically.

Through lexicography, Muslims are able to create dictionaries to learn Arabic for different language speakers around the world. Nowadays, we have Arabic-English dictionaries, Arabic-Malay dictionaries, Arabic-Chinese dictionaries and et cetera. By having these dictionaries, it is easier for Muslims to learn the words of the Qur'an better and spread da'wah to others.

Ibn Al-Khaldn (d. 1406) defines lexicography as,

"The science of instituted elements of language. That primarily concerned with semiotic relations and contrasts between the elements of vocabulary."