4. The inner access structure A second main component of the access structure of a dictionary is the access
structure of the microstructure or the internal access structure. The user's inter-
nal search route starts at the lemma and continues into the dictionary article.
Svensén (1993: 16) describes the internal search route of the user as follows:
"When the right entry word has been found, the user also has to find the right
section within the entry, and within that section the material is grouped in a
certain order and presented according to certain conventions, which can be
fairly difficult to learn."
4.1 Data distribution structure The strategic placement of data in the dictionary article is determined firstly by
the data distribution structure. The design of a data distribution structure and
datadistribution program must form part of the dictionary plan. Bergenholtz
and Tarp (1995: 188) describe the distribution structure as the structure of lin-
guistic (and encyclopaedic) information distributed across or occurring in dif-
ferent places in the dictionary. Basically, this information may occur in three
different places: in the individual articles, in different types of framed articles
or in separate components like a dictionary grammar. The inner access struc-
ture also refers to the form and ordering of data in the dictionary article. In this
regard Opitz (1983: 174) demands the following: "In order to prove successful,
user convenience must receive high priority. This includes first of all the choice
of a type of type style that can be deciphered even under such adverse condi-
tioning as poor lightning, haste and fatigue. Next come matters of organisation:
how to allow for fast scanning of an entry in order to find a particular item of
information while avoiding mistakes and confusion, or even irritation, on the
user's part."
The Access Structure in Learner's Dictionaries
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