Explanation and definition: thesis and antithesis

Abstract

The work is devoted to the assessment of the correspondence of the names of terminological dictionaries to the methods of semantization of the terms presented in them. The study uses a method that denies the synonymy of the terms "explanation" and "definition". The definitional analysis of these terms confirmed the alternative of their use in dictionaries of various purposes. It has been established that explanation as a method of semantization is correctly used in educational translation dictionaries intended for the initial period of study at a university, when the addressee begins to study special disciplines and does not possess the relevant competencies. Such dictionaries can be attributed to the type of "explanatory terminological dictionary". The definition reveals the meaning of the term in dictionaries intended for specialists who are well-versed in the terminology system of their branch of knowledge. Dictionaries of this type can be considered "industry terminological dictionaries". The use of the lexeme "explanatory" in their names is incorrect because it contradicts the method of semantization. Thus, the distinction between explanation and definition should contribute to relevance in the matter of choosing the source of information.