The first ever ‘Lexicom-Asia’ workshop was held from 11-16 December 2006 in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
The course was attended by about 20 participants – with backgrounds in publishing, research, language-teaching, and computer science. Several of them came from Hong Kong universities, and others from Japan, Korea, South Africa and (a first for Lexicom) Bhutan. Following the usual Lexicom model, each seminar introduced and discussed a key topic, which was then further explored in practical exercises at the computer. As well as the basics of practical lexicography, the programme covered corpus design and annotation, the extraction of information from corpus data, an introduction to frame semantics as a practical approach to corpus analysis, and speculations about the future of corpus-based lexicography. On the final day, the working groups presented dictionary entries they had compiled, initiating discussions of various theoretical and methodological issues.
We were entertained and enlightened by a broad-ranging guest lecture from HKUST resident (and well-known writer) Tom McArthur. Gregory James, Candice Poon, and Bronson So from HKUST hosted and organized the event with great panache, and we all enjoyed a closing dinner in the university’s guest house overlooking the beautiful Clear Water Bay.
