From “a” to “az”. A Study of Formal Anomalies of the Spanish Text in Cambridge Dictionary Online (English-Spanish/Spanish-English)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17561/rilex.9.2.10412Keywords:
Dictionary Quality, Dictionary Revision, Formal Anomalies, Free Online LexicographyAbstract
The present study analyses the Spanish text of entries corresponding to letter “A” in parts English-Spanish and Spanish-English of the Cambridge Dictionary Online, according to the following formal anomaly types: capitalisation, punctuation, design, written accent, spacing, non-word error (errata de no palabra/ENP) and real-word error (errata de palabra/EP). The results in terms of number of anomalies and location of the anomaly types/subtypes reveal a system of anomalies and ask for appropriate corrective measures, on the premise of a thorough revision. In addition to anomaly analysis, the following lexicographic quality aspects are dealt with: a) the possible relationship between the defects and the data input methods (manual, automated or semi-automated); b) the difficult balance between productivity and quality, in a context of increasing complexity where there are still gaps in relation to technology (or the use humans make of that technology); c) user participation in the input and revision of lexicographic content; and d) the detrimental effect that promotional images in free online dictionaries may have on users.
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