EXAMINING EQUIVALENCE

The paper attempts to answer some basic questions pertaining to lexicographic equivalence. These include the definition of the concept, the types of equivalence that need to be distinguished in order to describe what is found in bilingual dictionaries, and a brief comparison of the way equivalence has been treated in contrastive linguistics, translation theory, and metalexicography. Despite the many problems identified in the course of the discussion, it is concluded that the equivalence notion is likely to remain central to the concerns of bilingual dictionary makers.