Towards The Multi-dimensional Definition In CFL Dictionaries

The present study aims to improve the lexicographical definition in the CFL dictionary through Multi-dimensional Definition (MDD) principles. Based on the comparative analysis of ELDs and CFL dictionaries, the study examines the inadequacies of the definition in the CFL dictionaries and then introduces the Meaning Driven Theory (MDT) and the MDD principles into the CFL dictionary definition so as to improve the CFL dictionary definition and enrich the practical CFL lexicography.The comparative analysis is adopted to the examination of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. At present, the lexicographical definition in most CFL dictionaries is composed in the same way as that in the CCD which is a general purpose Chinese dictionary. Therefore most of them explain only the basic concept of the definiendum and lack essential information about the semantic frame so that they cannot help foreign learners in their language production. So that the CFL dictionary should seek new definition approaches. The MDD principles bring a new perspective to lexicographical definition. A MDD describes the meaning potential of a definiendum from different angles and at different levels. Through the empirical research on the conceptual meaning module of the MDD theory, the present study proves that the MDD theory can improve the quality of the CFL dictionary definition. It could provide more information about the semantic frame and the meaning potential of the definiendum. The present study will give inspiration to the compilation of CFL dictionaries.