The Dictionary as a Cultural Institution

The usefulness of the dictionary is readily recognized and this partially explains why such a tool has been produced for centuries. However, it has been only recently, that is from the 1950s onwards, that the effort of some lexicographers concerned with the theoretical aspect of their work, linguists and historians of lexicography has created the conditions necessary to the study and development of lexicography (Rey and Delesalle 1979: 4-5). As a result, the perception which users have of the dictionary became more accurate. The dictionary had long been considered a technical object and an authority by those who use it (Rey and Delesalle 1979: 10-11; Beaujot 1989: 80); it almost seemed that the dictionary possessed a intrinsic neutrality. In reality, however, it turns out to be an illusion (Tournier 1988: 14-15). Furthermore, even if some lexicographers believe that the dictionary must reflect usage, be of a descriptive rather than a prescriptive nature (Gove 1967: 6-7), the fact remains that the dictionary is biased (Tournier 1988: 15). Researchers have come to realize that the dictionary acts as a filter (Buzo