I - Toward a Taxonomy of Cross-Linguistic Lexical

Summary

Building the envisaged taxonomy of cross-linguistic lexical differences consists of the following three steps. First I examine the status of the phenomenon in previous linguistic and philosophical approaches (Chapter 2). Equipped with the relevant theoretical postulations, I then discuss concrete cases of lexical anisomorphism, with the goal of extracting the building blocks of the taxonomy (Chapter 3). The third and final step is to propose the taxonomy per se (Chapter 4).

Constructing the aforementioned taxonomy comprises two closely related goals. First, the taxonomy should provide a general theoretical tool to classify the myriad of cases of cross-linguistic lexical anisophormism that exist in any given pair of languages, even those that are genetically, typologically, and culturally closely related. As will be seen from the review of relevant literature in Chapter 2, it is very often the case that CLA is noticed, but at the same time dismissed as completely unpredictable. Even when researchers attempt to formally analyze a case of CLA, they frequently restrict themselves to a particular small set of words or just one pair of equivalents. In the landscape of thinking about CLA, there exists a void between sweeping general statements, mostly about the erratic character of the phenomenon, and punctilious yet narrow analyses of concrete cases. The first goal of the envisaged taxonomy is to fill this void by providing a broad but formalized conceptual tool that will help elucidate the phenomenon of CLA. In this way, a comprehensive viable taxonomy of CLA will contribute to the body of theoretical linguistic knowledge about cross-linguistic lexical differences.

The second goal of the envisaged taxonomy is a practical one. The taxonomy is meant to be an operational applied linguistic tool that will inform lexicographers, language teachers, and translators about existing configurations of cross-linguistic lexical differences. Such a tool could be used in professional lexicographic training and solving concrete problems in drafting dictionary entries, teaching vocabulary, and finding the right lexical equivalents in translation. Additionally, various other fields, from anthropology to cross-cultural psychology to international marketing, may benefit from having a practical tool with which to approach CLA.