Aspekter af ordbøgers samfundsmæssige betydning

Resumé

In this paper the assumption is put forward that a precondition fora dictionary to obtain
a position of importance in a speak.ing community is that the users regard the dictionary
as an authority. Furthermore it is assumed that five aspects of comprehensive
monolingual dictionaries are of specific interest to the public. The aspects are: the
dictionary as: 1. a description of language usage, 2. a topic of discussion, 3. a
knowledge base, 4. a period picture and 5. a learning device. In an attempt
to define the factors which are necessary for the dictionary to become an authority
with respect to the aspects, each aspect is related to the authority demand.