Information Field in Malay Monolingual Dictionary

Abstract

The study of lexicography compares the information field between two Malay monolingual dictionaries, namely Kamus Dewan (4^th Edition) and Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (4^th Edition) known to be credible in Malaysia and Indonesia. Information field is the term used to refer to types of information contained in a dictionary such as spelling, pronunciation, meaning, grammar, etymology, word usage, cross-reference and other important aspects by compilers which are useful for the users. The study data comprise of 1087 entries which were selected using the easy and systematic approaches. The study adopts the library and content analysis methods. Data were analyzed descriptively. The objective identifies the content of the information field in both these dictionaries based on the use of the general principles of lexicography. Various aspects contained in the field or category of information in a dictionary. There are only three aspects that will be discussed in this study and they are word usage, etymology and cross-referencing. The study outcome shows that there are some differences, similarities and shortcomings in the information field of both dictionaries. The advantage offered by the findings of this study is that the use of the information field in a Malay monolingual dictionary helps the compilers to produce a credible dictionary.