From literature to the dictionary: A lexicographical reading of Vida privada

Abstract

The Diccionari general de la llengua catalana [General Dictionary of Catalan Language, abbreviated in Catalan as DGLC], a work by Pompeu Fabra published in 1932 which took him slightly over six years to make, is filled with examples that have no indication of filiation, and Colon (2007) asserts that they were written ad-hoc. However, Ginebra & Solà (2007) state that there are examples in the DGLC taken from specific literary sources and suggest that there are still more from other literary texts. Based on this premise, this article shows how Vida privada [Private Life] (1932) by Josep M. de Sagarra was probably read by the lexicographer with the intention of polishing and refining his dictionary. Thus, we study the copy of the novel —in two volumes— that Sagarra dedicated to Fabra, which contains 753 underlined words that correspond to 666 different ones. To try to determine the impact that the novel had on Fabra’s lexicographical work, these 666 words are classified according to their word formation process, checked in the DGLC to determine if they are lexicographic neologisms and also searched for in other contemporary lexicographic works. As a result of this analysis, we conclude that it is not only likely but also credible to think that Fabra read the novel from a lexicographical  perspective with the aim of verifying some meanings and uses as well as complementing the entries in his dictionary.