On Lexical Definitions in Samuel Bogumił Linde’s Słownik języka polskiego (The Dictionary of the Polish Language)

Abstract

S. B. Linde’s Dictionary (1807-1815) is the first general dictionary of the Polish language in the history of Polish lexicography in which the entries had to be described with respect to their semantics. Lexical definitions are an important part of this description. Linde introduces all possible types of definitions: synonymic, pertaining to the actual meaning of the word, structural-semantic, structural, grammatical, definitions per oppositionem and mixed definitions. Synonymic definitions (formed according to the rule of substitution) and mixed ones (a symptom of aspiration for the possibly fullest semantic characteristics of the word) appear in the Dictionary most often. On the other hand, structural-semantic and structural definitions, formulated on the basis of theoretical-grammatical knowledge, are usually not full, and sometimes indeed incorrect. However, they are a precious source of information about Linde’s lexicographic and linguistic consciousness.