We present the keynote speakers of the Conference “Lexicography in the 21st Century”:
- Lars Trap Jensen, Society for Danish Language and Literature, Denmark
Title of the keynote speech: The Best of Two Worlds: Exploring the Synergy between Human Expertise and AI in Lexicography.
Abstract: With the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a far-off concept from the dystopian world of “Brave New World.” Instead, it has become a reality that is here to stay, and is poised to transform the way we create dictionaries. In my talk, I will explore the strengths and weaknesses of AI as used in ChatGPT, and how it can assist lexicographers in creating better dictionaries, rather than rendering them obsolete. Although AI technology can analyze vast amounts of data and produce impressive results, there are still areas where traditional lexicography surpasses AI. I will discuss which aspects of the dictionary-making process can be delegated to machines and which areas require the expertise of human lexicographers.
- Pius ten Hacken, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Title of the keynote speech: Theories of the Lexicon and Decisions in Dictionary Making
Abstract: In linguistic theory, the position of the lexicon has generally been much less prominent than that of phonology and syntax. Whereas both phonology and syntax have rules, the lexicon was considered nothing more than a list of non-rule-based properties. In the work of Leonard Bloomfield and Noam Chomsky, the lexicon is a list of non-redundant information. More recently, the structure of the lexicon has been receiving more attention. This is particularly the case of Relational Morphology (RM), as developed by Ray Jackendoff and Jenny Audring. Despite its name, RM is first of all a theory of how the mental lexicon is organized. The assumption is that entries are fully specified, but the expression of relations between and within entries reduces the cognitive burden of storing the information. I will explore the consequences of these two approaches to the lexicon for the decisions that have to be taken in a lexicographic project. The central question will be whether RM generates any new ideas of practical relevance for dictionary making.
- Tinatin Margalitadze, George Meladze, Ilia State University, Georgia
Title of the keynote speech: Main Tendencies in the Development of Georgian Lexicography in the XXI Century
Abstract: The history of Georgian lexicography in the XXI century is mainly the history of the development of digital lexicography. The Georgian electronic lexicography, as well as the development of computer technologies in our country in general, made a late start compared to other countries. This was the result of different factors, among them the chaos caused by the political turmoil and civil war during the 1990s which played a negative role in the digitalization of the Georgian philology.
In the presentation, we will discuss in detail the main stages in the development of electronic lexicography. As was the case in other countries, initially Georgian electronic dictionaries were mere digitized versions of their printed prototypes. Only later there appeared truly digital dictionaries, equipped with complexly structured, versatile search engines.
At the next stage, a new trend in working on electronic dictionaries became clearly discernible: the composition of dictionaries within the special Dictionary Writing Systems (DWSs).
The development of corpus linguistics in Georgia resulted in the appearance of different corpora of Georgian and their application in Georgian lexicography. Entirely corpus-based Georgian dictionaries opened a new page in the modern Georgian digital lexicography, marking a new development in this field. Simultaneously, there developed new genres of dictionaries, sign language dictionaries, frequency-based learner’s dictionaries, etc.
Another important trend in the development of modern Georgian digital lexicography is the application of lexicographical data in machine translation projects, followed by important cooperation between lexicographers and NLP specialists. How to teach lexis to the machine? How to teach polysemy, homonymy, collocations, idioms, and terminology? This is the sphere, where lexicographic data may prove to be very efficient. The issues of integrating lexicographic data into various online resources are also being developed.
In the presentation, we will also address the problems of modern Georgian terminology and analyze the challenges of the field.
One of the important directions of modern Georgian lexicography is the development of dictionary use skills in Georgian youth. The need for study of the dictionary use will be analyzed on the backdrop of modern machine translation programs and applications based on artificial intelligence.
Social Program
City tour of Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia. Masterclasses in baking Georgian bread, and making Churchkhela, Georgian delicacy, Georgian wine tasting at Marani Hall in Mtskheta. Conference dinner with Georgian cuisine at Marani Hall, Mtskheta.