A word, even when considered monosemic, generally has a cluster of meanings, depending on the mental representation of the referent by the speaker/writer or listener/reader. The variation is even more noticeable across cultures. This paper investigates the different ways in which cultural knowledge helps in the interpretation of English lexical…

The recent writing of Muhlhausler argues that lexicography and other acts of linguistic description constitute a serious trespass on the linguistic ecology of an area, which can ultimately lead to a language's demise. This article critically examines views such as this in the context of community expectations of lexicographical researchers in the…