Bridging the gap between website accessibility and lexicography: information access in online dictionaries

Abstract

Information access has been one of the main concerns of lexicography since the first dictionaries were compiled. This paper draws an explicit link between the proposals made from the fields of applied linguistics and website accessibility to enhance the users’ experience in consulting online dictionaries. The paper starts with a reflection on two intertwined notions that are relevant for the discussion: Access and accessibility. After that, it focuses on elements connected to two Web Content Accessibility Guidelines principles, namely perceivability and understandability. It reflects on real practices regarding the way in which information is structured in today’s dictionaries, the use of text alternatives, typographic choice, the writing of definitions, and the use of abbreviations, and proposes measures to tackle the identified challenges. The implementation of easy-to-understand language is highlighted as a relevant resource for prospective lexicographic projects.