From culture to (un)shared concept

Abstract

Two theoretical constructs (the bilingual mental lexicon and the depth of processing framework) and the Whorfian hypothesis of linguistic determinism plus related concepts (differentiation, codability, and Zift’s law) are incorporated into a framework in this paper to account for the representation of (cross-)cultural information in bilingual lexicography. After briefly introducing the theoretical framework, the paper goes on to discuss the representation of literal, conceptual, and cross-cultural aspects in the Chinese–English Dictionary (Unabridged) (henceforth the CEDU) in three sections: making explicit the implicit literal or etymological information to account for senses in use; acculturating expressions, definitions, and illustrative examples; and cultural immersion in exemplification appealing to both refined and popular tastes. Each section encompasses multilevel factors in the treatment of bilingual entries with a focus on (cross-) cultural representations.