users, user-friendliness and projected uses of isichazamazwi sesindebele: an analysis

Abstract

Abstract: This article discusses the first-ever monolingual general Ndebele dictionary, Isichazamazwi SesiNdebele (henceforth the ISN) within the context of the history of lexicography and the compilation of dic-tionaries in Ndebele. It further assesses the scope of the dictionary with regard to its structure. It also dis-cusses decisions taken by the editors during the writing of the ISN in an attempt to compile a user-friendly dictionary primarily aimed at secondary schools and the general Ndebele population. The assumptions of the editors, coming from a non-existing lexicographic tradition, were mainly based on their experiences and intuitions as Ndebele mother-tongue speakers, educators and language practitioners. The article also ac-counts for four major uses of the dictionary.