7 Replies to “Update to Online Lexicon”

  2. Sorry if this seems like a quibble, but isn’t this really more a glossary or word-list than a lexicon? We’ve recently been discussing the Barclay Newman UBS Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament on B-Greek, which has recently been given a revision of sorts. Perhaps the words, “glossary,” “dictionary,” and “lexicon” are interchangeable, but I think of a “glossary” as little more than a word-list with no more than two or three suggested equivalents. A useful dictionary (Latinate word) or lexicon (Hellenic word) should offer meaningful distinctions of usage and illustrate them with relevant citations. I do think that a glossary or word-list can serve a useful function for a beginning learner, but it tends to provide little more than what’s found under the alien word in an interlinear; it’s sort of like the feel of water to a wader who wants to learn how to swim.

    1. At this point it is a glossary or word list. That will change over time. The grammar as a whole is in production.

      When the entire work is finished, the lexicon will include considerably more than what is there now. That’s why the title says “lexicon” rather than “glossary” or “word list.” It will include definitions rather than simply English glosses. It will also include argument structure information for the verbs, prepositions, and deverbal nouns.

      When completed, it will merit the title it has, but for now, it certainly doesn’t!

      Thank you for bringing this up. I should have made it clearer at the outset.

  3. Pingback: What should a lexicon include? | Greek Language and Linguistics

  4. Right now it’s a glossary, but I would love to see what the lexicon looks like.

    Though it is standard practice, I’m not happy with merely listing the nominative forms of adjectives. I think a genitive form needs to be listed, especially for third declension adjectives (e.g., πᾶς, παντός; εἷς, ἑνός), so that the student can properly identify the stem.

    1. Hmm… It’s true that the genitive form would be useful in adjective listings. Would you recommend including for all three genders (where all three have separate forms)?

  5. In response to concerns raised in this discussion, I have clarified the title of the “lexicon” for my online grammar in the table of contents. I changed it to “Lexicon (Cumulative Vocabulary List).” Since the title in the cumulative vocabulary list itself already referred to it as the “Course Lexicon” rather than as a full lexicon, I have left that unchanged.

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