A lexicographer is a person who works in the field of lexicography, which is the science of creating, using, compiling, and evaluating general dictionaries. A general dictionary is one whose sole purpose is to describe and define the English language as a whole. Special dictionaries, such as legal and medical dictionaries, are part of the special lexicography category. A special lexicographer is typically educated in both the field he wishes to define and lexicography.
A lexicographer can specialize in one of two areas of interest. The art of compiling, writing, and organizing dictionaries is known as practical lexicography. A practical lexicographer is usually involved in the writing or editing of a dictionary, which varies greatly depending on the dictionary’s intended use.
Theoretical lexicography is studied by some lexicographers. Theoretical lexicographers look at how words are related based on their use and meaning. They also look into how people use dictionaries to find information, whether in print or online. Theoretical lexicography is sometimes referred to as metalexicography.
One of the most important responsibilities of a lexicographer is to profile the dictionary’s intended audience. Massive, unabridged dictionaries may be useful in the classroom, but they may be too large for a college student to carry around. Pocket dictionaries, on the other hand, may be insufficient for the scholarly college student. The organization and format of a dictionary are usually based on the intended readers.
One of a lexicographer’s main concerns is the lexicographic information cost of looking up a piece of information in a dictionary. The lexicographic information cost is the sum of the annoyances and difficulties encountered when searching for an entry and extracting the desired information from a dictionary. A low lexicographic information cost means that users of a dictionary can quickly find and comprehend the information they’re looking for. A high lexicographic information cost, on the other hand, means that dictionary users have a difficult time finding and comprehending the information they need.
Lexicographers specialize in compiling, organizing, and editing dictionaries for a wide range of purposes and professions. Lexicographers, as in most other cases, design dictionaries with the goal of keeping lexicographic information affordable for those who use specialized dictionaries. As a result, other people may have difficulty understanding and using the dictionaries. Medical dictionaries, legal dictionaries, and bilingual dictionaries are examples of specialized dictionaries.