THE DESCRIPTION OF PREPOSITIONS IN ROMANIAN ACADEMIC LEXICOGRAPHY: A CASE STUDY OF THE DICȚIONARUL LIMBII ROMÂNE [DICTIONARY OF THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE]), LETTERS A–C

Abstract

This study examines how prepositions are described in Romanian academic lexicography, focusing on the entries corresponding to the letters A–C in the DA (Dicționarul Limbii Române [Dictionary of the Romanian Language]), commonly known as the Dictionary of the Academy (DA). The analysis considers the semantic, lexical, and functional values of the prepositions, as well as the methods of contextual exemplification employed in scholarly dictionary practice. The prepositions a (‘to’), adins (‘among; between’), alean (‘against’), asupra / asupră (‘upon; over’), bașca (‘besides; apart from’), către/cătră (‘towards’), contra (‘against’), contrar (‘contrary to; against’), cu (‘with’) and their associated archaic forms are compared in order to highlight the range of meanings and the semantic developments documented across Romanian lexicographic sources. The findings show that the treatment of prepositions is systematic, with emphasis on lexical values and their illustration in representative texts of Romanian literature. The study also reveals significant differences between prepositions that remain productive in contemporary Romanian and those that have fallen out of use or survive only in fixed or idiomatic expressions.