On bullying, mobbing (and harassment) in English and Polish: Foreign-language-based Lexical Innovation in a Bilingual Dictionary

The present paper deals with the treatment of incipient borrowing in a bilingual dictionary. While not completely new, the topic has so far received little attention in the lexicographic literature, Adamska-Salaciak (2004) and (2007) being among the few exceptions. Yet it is worthy of note that, in a period when dictionary making as a whole is being overhauled, the lines previously drawn regarding the lexicographic treatment of borrowing seem to be shifting as well. In particular, the requirement not always explicitly voiced that unless a loanword has been recorded in a monolingual dictionary of the recipient language, it is not eligible for inclusion in a bilingual dictionary (whether as an equivalent or as a headword), seems to have lost much of its force, especially with regard to the digital medium. This gives bilingual lexicographers more freedom, but at the same time puts more responsibility on their shoulders. The issue is illustrated by a discussion of a specimen case encountered in the process of updating a major English-Polish, Polish-English dictionary.