




































342 

 

Outside Matter in Igbo Dictionaries 

 

 Juliana Mgbechikwere Okeke 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State 

julieokeke80@yahoo.com 

 

Abstract 

The outside matter is a major concept in lexicography. It is a cover 

term for all the components of a dictionary which are not part of the 

central word-list but are of great significance to the dictionary user. 

The importance of the outside matter has been grossly overlooked 

by most writers and users of Igbo dictionaries. This has resulted in 

poorly written outside matter and an underuse of the information 

provided. Several works have been done, by various authors, on 

Igbo lexicography, but none has really addressed the concept of 

outside matter in its entirety. This study looks at the outside matter 

of two Igbo-English (bilingual) dictionaries and one English 

(monolingual) dictionary. The dictionaries are considered research 

objects, and the data for this study are collected from the outside 

matter of the three dictionaries. The theoretical framework adopted 

for this study is ‘standard over form’ proposed by Nielsen in 2011. 

This framework provides the principles and criteria for proper 

analysis and evaluation of dictionary outside matter, to identify its 

strengths and weaknesses. The analysis of the data reveals that the 

Igbo-English dictionaries do not provide the required information 

for a dictionary outside matter. Basically, the obligatory contents 

(preface and user’s guide) which are the most essential elements of 

a dictionary outside matter are lacking in them, while the non-

obligatory contents they provide are inadequate. This study 

recommends the development of adequate outside matter 



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343 

 

information for future Igbo dictionaries of any type (monolingual, 

bilingual, LSP) and awareness on its importance to the users.  

 

Key Words: Lexicography, Outside Matter, Dictionary, Igbo 

1. Introduction 

The outside matter is a major concept in lexicography. It is a cover 

term for all the components of a dictionary, which are not part of the 

central word-list. It is one of the major components of a dictionary, 

though not part of the lemma list; it contains information that aids 

the dictionary user to easily access and retrieve different types of 

information from the dictionary. The outside matter provides 

information about the dictionary, and a guide on how to use it, 

among other things. The functions of a dictionary are mostly 

achievable through the provision of adequate outside matter texts. 

Without a well-written outside matter, the user of a bilingual 

dictionary may find it difficult to interpret some dictionary entries, 

and others who are new to the dictionary may have the challenge of 

retrieving needed information as quickly as possible. The whole idea 

of a good dictionary refers to how the dictionary enables users to 

access and retrieve needed information with ease. This can only be 

made possible through adequate outside matter texts for the intended 

user group, guided by the purpose or function of the dictionary.  

 

The importance of the outside matter has been grossly overlooked 

by most dictionary writers and users. Some writers, especially of 

Igbo dictionaries do not provide adequate information needed in the 

outside matter of their dictionaries. Yet on the other hand, most users 

do not also understand the importance of the outside matter and the 

information it provides. Probably, they may not read through the 

information in the outside matter, or they do so in haste such that the 

information does not serve its purpose. Several works have been 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

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done on different aspects of Igbo lexicography by various authors 

and linguists including: Oweleke (2007, 2008 and 2013), 

Ugochukwu (2008), Ajunwa (2009), Uchechukwu (2011a and b), 

Uchechukwu and Oweleke (2015) and others. All the works cited 

above and many more have contributed immensely to the 

development of Igbo lexicography, but none has been done 

explicitly on the outside matter of Igbo Dictionaries. The work by 

Uchechukwu (2011a) ‘Foreign Culture Lexicography and Beyond: 

Perspectives from the History of Igbo Lexicography’ addresses the 

notion of target audience in Igbo dictionaries, stating the need for 

Igbo dictionaries by native speakers to shift from the point of 

European audience and generalized audience towards internal 

audience who should be the native speakers of Igbo language. The 

‘target audience’ which is a major point in Uchechukwu (2011a) is 

only one of the required information that should be contained in the 

preface (an obligatory content) of a dictionary outside matter. On 

this note, this study is set to fill the gap on the study of the entire 

outside matter of some Igbo dictionaries on which no earlier work 

has been done. 

 

This study is focused on identifying what the required content of 

outside matter of a dictionary should be and this purpose shall be 

achieved through: 

 Identifying what the ideal contents of a dictionary outside 

matter should be – the obligatory contents and the non-

obligatory contents. 

 Reviewing the outside matter of the dictionaries under this 

study to see how much of the ideal contents or information 

they provide.  



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345 

 

 Identifying and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of 

the outside matter of the various dictionaries under this study 

and drawing a conclusion on them. 

 Identifying the extent to which the information in the outside 

matter of each dictionary relates to its function or type. 

There are quite a number of bilingual Igbo dictionaries, beginning 

with the work of T.J. Dennis in 1923, Dictionary of the Ibo 

Language: English-Ibo. Presently there are both printed and a few 

online Igbo dictionaries by various authors.   

 

However, this study is centered on the outside matter of two out of 

all the bilingual (Igbo-English) printed dictionaries and one English 

monolingual dictionary. The three are all learner’s dictionaries - a 

dictionary type that is of general purpose in nature, but designed 

specifically for learners of the language or languages involved. The 

two Igbo-English dictionaries are authored by Igwe (1999), and Eke 

(2001), while the monolingual English learner’s dictionary is 

Hornby (2000), (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of English 

6th Edition), to be referred to in this work as Hornby (2000) OALD 

6th   Edition. The choice of the three dictionaries for this study is not 

just related to space constraint for this paper and the three being 

learner’s dictionaries, but also because they are all authored within 

the same time bracket (late 1990s and early 2000). 

 

The rest of this paper discusses the subject matter as follows: section 

2 is on literature review, while section 3 is focused on methodology 

and theoretical framework. Section 4 shows the presentation and 

analysis of data. Finally section 5 is the summary and conclusion on 

the study. 

 

 



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346 

 

 

2. Literature Review 

This section reviews the literature on outside matter, its nature and 

components, in addition to some empirical works on the outside 

matter of dictionaries.  

 

The Outside Matter and Its Components 

Outside Matter is also known as outer texts in some literature. 

Svensen (2009:76) describes it as those other more or less obligatory 

dictionary components which occur before or after the lemma list. 

Brangel (2015:99) looks at it as the component of a dictionary 

consisting of external texts which do not belong to the dictionary 

entries. However, although the texts do not belong to the dictionary 

entries, they are not arbitrarily chosen. That is the reason Gouws 

(2014:74) opines that the nature and the extent of the functions of a 

dictionary play a decisive role in the selection and presentation of 

its outside matter. In other words, the purpose of a dictionary should 

determine the data type and the way it is presented in the outside 

matter. Components of the outside matter according to their location 

in the dictionary are discussed below.  

 

Front Matter 
The front matter of a dictionary refers to those texts that occur before 

the dictionary entries or central word-list. They provide information 

on the purpose of the dictionary and a guide to its use. Wang 

(2012:68) sees the front matter like a doorman that leads the learner 

as he or she walks into the “foreign world” of the new language. 

According to Brangel (2015:99) the front matter, which is the 

introductory part of the dictionary, should attend to two main 

functions: i) to present the objectives of the dictionary and ii) to be 

an instruction manual for the user.  Mafela’s (2014) view is that the 



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347 

 

front matter plays a dominant role in guiding users towards the use 

of a dictionary and serves as a users’ style guide.  The front matter 

content, based on Singh’s (2010) position may include some or all 

of the following: cover design, title page with information on the 

editor(s), publication and publisher; table of contents, introduction 

or preface, explanation of the innovations and characteristics of the 

edition concerned, outlining the editorial principles followed in the 

work, the user’s guide, general information about the language (and 

its grammar in some cases), map of the dialect to locate the area (if 

it is a dialectal dictionary), list of abbreviations used in the 

dictionary, brief note on the orthography (useful for standardization 

of orthography), explanations of the transcription used, introduction 

to the manner and method of pronunciation used. However, 

Hausmann and Wiegand (2003:210–212) explain that the only 

component of the outside matter viewed as obligatory is the text 

which provides explanations on the use of the dictionary, which is 

the user’s guide, normally located in the front matter. It can also be 

assumed that the user’s guide and the preface are essential parts of 

the front matter of a dictionary. This is because of the importance of 

the information usually located in them.  

 

The preface and the user’s guide are considered very important parts 

of the front matter of any dictionary type, although some authors 

consider the user’s guide more obligatory.  Based on the assertion 

of Svensen (2009: 380), a preface should provide a coherent account 

of the general features of a dictionary. Such information should 

include the purpose of the dictionary, intended user group, general 

approach, and organization and scope of the dictionary. It should be 

more of descriptive information, which should also explain the 

design and approach adopted in the dictionary including the 

principles of selection and the source of data used in the dictionary. 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

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Also, a bibliography of metalexicographic literature may be 

provided, and a list of persons involved in the dictionary project. 

 

The user’s guide, on the other hand, is that component of the 

dictionary which provides the user with information on the use of 

the dictionary, and how to retrieve information effectively. Mafela 

(2014) is of the view that the main object of the user’s guide is to 

inform the user, as explicitly as possible, of the kind of information 

contained in the dictionary, how the information should be 

interpreted and where the different kinds of information can be 

found. He cites Landau (1984:116) who opines that the users’ guide 

provides clues for locating, as quickly as possible, particular items 

of information, in addition to explaining the structure and content of 

the different lexical entries, such as pronunciation of words, use of 

prefixes and suffixes, use of diacritics, formation of plural forms, 

derivation of words, finding idiomatic expressions and proverbs, 

and identifying parts of speech. The user’s guide in most modern 

day dictionaries are often presented using different colours and eye-

catching schemes. Kirkpatrick (1989:756), cited in Karpinska 

(2012), opines that the design of more attractive presentation of the 

vital information about the dictionary might take significantly less 

time to absorb than elegant, discursive prose. However, the scholar 

also notes that dictionary users are reluctant to consult the front 

matter, even less the back matter.  

Middle Matter 

The middle matter refers to those items that are inserted in-between 

the dictionary entries to provide extra information on the entries 

themselves but they are not part of the entries. They break up the 

alphabetical order of words and provide extra information which 

includes pictures and other illustrations. They are described by 

Hausmann and Wiegand (2003) as comprising those immediate 



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349 

 

constituents of the whole dictionary text which are inserted in the 

central word list but which are not part of the word list. It comprises 

all the information interposed between entries (Brangel 2015:100). 

 

Back Matter 

The back matter refers to the group of texts or information that is 

located after the dictionary entries. They are not part of the 

dictionary entries but they provide useful information to the user. 

Singh (2010:4) opines that the back matter of a dictionary might 

contain both linguistic and encyclopedic information, depending on 

the size and scope of the dictionary. Karpinska (2012:59) explains 

that the front matter and the back matter may contain very different 

components. Most of the non-obligatory components can navigate 

among the two positions, for instance, the list of abbreviations can 

appear in the front matter in one dictionary and in the back matter in 

another. Nielsen (2011:217) notes that several information, or 

distinct data types should not be lumped together in one part of the 

outside matter. In other words, the information and data types that 

are represented in the outside matter of a dictionary should be 

adequately spread out, some in the front matter, in the middle matter, 

and others in the back matter. He adds that every important 

information that is needful to aid the dictionary user should be 

presented in the outside matter, avoiding ambiguity. 

 

Outside Matter / User’s Guide in Bilingual Dictionaries 

Mafela (2014:2) explains that outside matter (users’ style guides) 

vary from one dictionary to another, and is necessary in all types of 

dictionaries, but more so in bilingual dictionaries. This is because a 

bilingual dictionary is mostly used by learners of a particular 

language he says. Adding that without a user’s guide, learners may 

find it difficult to find and interpret the meaning of lexical entries in 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

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bilingual dictionaries. It could also make it difficult for learners of 

the language, and users, who are new to the dictionary look-up 

operations, to retrieve the required information as quickly as 

possible. Mafela further observes that most of the currently available 

bilingual dictionaries contain very little information in the outside 

matter (users’ style guide) and some do not have a guide for users at 

all. However, bilingual dictionaries are important tools for learning 

a language. The absence of a user’s guide may render the dictionary 

not user-friendly to learners of the language says Mafela. He cites 

Atkins and Rundell (2008), who identify different texts that can be 

found in the user’s guide of a bilingual dictionary to include 

provisions for headwords and meaning, information on items that 

have no direct target language equivalence, and how to deal with 

abbreviations and their full forms. Other pieces of information that 

should be included or explained in the user’s guide of bilingual 

dictionaries for indigenous African languages as explained by 

Gouws (2014:3) include: location of the language involved, possibly 

including the distribution of the population of the language(s), 

pronunciation and orthography in the indigenous African language, 

the use of affixes and formation of plurals, abbreviations and their 

full-forms, the use of diacritics, where they are obtainable in the 

particular language. There should be an explanation on how to find 

words with diacritics in the dictionary, dialects – where there are 

differences in the orthography of the different dialects which may 

be confusing to the dictionary user, order of arrangement of 

idiomatic expressions in the dictionary. 

 

Issues in the Classification of Outside Matter Components 

Apart from the general view on the components of the outside matter 

based on their location in the dictionary, namely, front matter, 

middle matter and back matter, there are also scholars and 



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351 

 

lexicographers who have come up with other ways of classifying the 

outside matter components. Some of the classifications identified 

are: simple and complex composition outside matter, proposed by 

Karpinska (2012). Integrated and non-integrated components by 

Gouws & Prinsloo (2005), classification based on function, by 

Svensen (2009), and classifications based on knowledge oriented 

and communication oriented function by Gouws (2004), as well as 

primary and complex outside matter texts. However, the generally 

known and accepted classification of outside matter according to 

location, which is front matter, middle matter and back matter is 

adopted for this study. 

 

A Brief Look at the Empirical 

 A brief look at the review and analysis of the outside matter of 

different dictionary types including monolingual, bilingual 

dictionaries, Languages for Special Purpose (LSP) dictionaries, 

online dictionaries, and a dictionary with knowledge-oriented 

function by authors like Brangel (2015); Wang (2012); Chabata and 

Nkomo (2010); Fernandez and Cormier (2010); Ellendersen (2007), 

and Klosa and Gouws (2015) reveal that different authors adopt 

different strategies, approaches and theoretical frameworks to suit 

their kind of study. They involve identifying the strengths and 

weaknesses of the outside matter of a dictionary or dictionaries 

under each review and pointing them out in the analysis. They have 

been basically descriptive in nature. 

 

3. Methodology/Theoretical Framework 

 The dictionary is considered a research object; therefore, the data 

for this study was collected from the three dictionaries through a 

thorough study of the outside matter of each of the dictionaries. The 

data presentation begins with a brief description of the general style 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

352 

 

adopted by each author(s), followed by a tabular summary 

presentation of the outside matter content of each dictionary. The 

second stage is the evaluation of data using the theoretical 

framework (Substance Over Form). 

 

The theoretical framework adopted for this study is the ‘Substance 

over Form’ approach proposed in Nielsen (2011). It is an approach 

which focuses on what type of data actually exists in a given section 

of a dictionary, how they are accessed, presented and how they 

support the functions of the dictionary. The author believes that 

“dictionary reviews should not be merely descriptive, but should 

contain thorough analyses, evaluation and reflection of their object”; 

therefore, he proposes the ‘substance over form’ approach with its 

principles based on his previous work and that of other renowned 

lexicographers like Herberg (1989), Nielsen (1994: 88-93; 1995: 

168-169), Chan and Taylor (2001:168), Kirkpatrick (1989) and 

Nielsen (2005:2006).  

 

 

4. Data Presentation/Analysis 

 

Igwe (1999) Igbo-English Dictionary 

The entire contents of the outside matter of Igwe (1999) Igbo – 

English dictionary are located at the front matter and made up of 

fifty eight (58) pages. The dictionary according to the author is a 

scholarly and scientific book which combines in one volume a 

grammar book and a dictionary of Igbo. What is considered the 

outside matter therefore, does not just contain what can be regarded 

as the typical outside matter information of a dictionary but a 

grammar book with other types of information that are not integrated 

into the dictionary entries.  



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353 

 

 

Table 1:  Summary of the Outside Matter of Igwe (1999) Igbo-

English Dictionary 

Front 

Matter 

 (58 

pages) 

  Midd

le 

Matte

r 

Back 

Matt

er 

Available        

Nil 

    

Nil 

Concept Content Brief 

Explanation 

  

Purpose 

and Need 

1. Purpose 

 

 

2. Need 

 A two in 

one book-

(Gramma

r book 

and 

Dictionar

y) 

 To serve 

students 

and 

learners 

of Igbo 

(Igbo and 

non-

Igbo). 

  

Preparatio

n Process 

1. Orthogra

phy 

 

 Discusses 

official 

orthograp

hy 

  



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

354 

 

2. Phonolo

gy 

 

3. Tonal 

Notation 

 

4. Syllable 

Structur

e 

 Explained 

with 

examples 

 States the 

Igbo tonal 

notation 

which is 

adopted 

for the 

dictionary 

entries  

 The 

syllable 

structure 

of Igbo is 

explained 

with 

examples. 

Grammati

cal Issues 

1. Gramma

r 
 Verbs: 

classificat

ions - 

infinitive, 

gerundial, 

participle, 

aorist. 

 Noun: 

classificat

ion – by 

tone, 

derived 

  



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355 

 

and 

underived 

 Adjective

s, 

adverbs, 

idiophone

s, suffixes 

and 

numbers 

Human 

Resource/ 

Funding  

1. Author 

 

2. Funding 

 

 

 Rev. Dr. 

G 

Egemba 

Igwe 

 Oxford 

Universit

y Press 

  

 

 

Eke (2001) Igbo-English Dictionary (Qkqwa Okwu) 
The outside matter of Eke’s (2001) dictionary is made up of a front 

matter and a middle matter. The front matter is contained in thirteen 

(13) pages with few contents, while the middle matter is made up of 

illustrations by way of the use of pictures on some pages. The 

contents of the outside matter of this dictionary include dedication, 

foreword, introduction, abbreviation list, appreciation, Igbo 

orthography (mkpuruedemede Igbo), parts of speech (Nkejiasusu) 

and, spellings (nsupe ndi a), no back matter. 
 
Table 2: Summary of the Outside Matter of Eke (2001) Igbo-English 

Dictionary 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

356 

 

Front Matter 

(13 pages) 

  Middle 

Matter 

Bac

k 

Mat

ter 

Available   Availabl

e 

  Nil 

Concept Content Brief 

Explanation 

Brief 

Explana

tion 

 

Purpose and 

Need 

1. Purpo

se 

 

2. Need 

 

 Diction

ary 

based 

on 

Standar

d Igbo 

 Student

s of 

seconda

ry and 

tertiary 

instituti

ons 

 Lovers 

of Igbo 

who 

desire 

to learn 

the 

languag

e 

Illustrati

ons: 

pictures 

placed 

randoml

y with 

the 

names of 

the items 

written 

in Igbo 

and 

English. 

Some 

placed 

close to 

the 

lemma 

they are 

illustrati

ng. 

 



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357 

 

Preparation 

Process 

1. Ortho

graph

y 

 

 

 

 

2. Parts 

of 

speec

h 

 

 

 

3. Spelli

ngs 

 Represe

ntation 

of the 

Igbo 

alphabe

ts, 

vowels, 

conson

ants and 

diagrap

hs. 

 A list of 

37 of 

them 

with 

their 

English 

equival

ents. 

 A list of 

118 

words 

with 

their 

English 

equival

ents 

  

Grammatica

l Issues 

         Nil             Nil   



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

358 

 

Human 

Resource/Fu

nding 

1. Autho

r 

2. Fundi

ng 

Nze Dr Julius 

Ginger Eke 

Not stated 

  

 

 

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 6th Edition 

The outside matter of Hornby (2000), OALD 6th edition is made up 

of information and data at the three locations of the front matter, 

middle matter and back matter. The front matter information is 

contained in fourteen (14) pages including the inside front cover. Its 

content is discussed and arranged under different headings which 

include: abbreviations and grammar labels, symbols, labels (used in 

the dictionary), key to verb patterns, table of contents, preface, key 

to dictionary entries (user’s guide), understanding definitions, 

numbers and lastly, symbols. The preface provides information on 

the function of the dictionary, which is text reception and 

production. It also states that the dictionary is designed for the 

learning of English language. Therefore, it is designed to support the 

needs of learners who are designated in the fourth paragraph as ‘less 

experienced learners’ and ‘most advanced learners’.  

 

Table 3: Summary of the Outside Matter of Hornby (2000) OALD 

6th Edition 

Front 

Matter 

(14 

pages) 

  Middle 

Matter 

(In 

sections

) 

Back 

Matter 

(33 

pages) 

Availabl

e 

  Availab

le 

Availabl

e 



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359 

 

Concept Content Brief 

Comment 

  

Purpose 

and 

Need 

1. Purpos

e 

 

 

 

2. Need 

 

 Text 

recept

ion 

and 

produ

ction 

 Learn

ers 

(less 

experi

enced 

and 

advan

ced 

learne

rs 

  

Preparati

on 

Process 

1. Source 

of 

lemma 

 

 

 

 

2. Abbrev

iations 

and 

gramm

 The 

‘defin

ing 

vocab

ulary 

(unde

r 3000 

words

) 

 As 

used 

in the 

Section 

I: 

Pictures 

and 

names 

of 

equipm

ents. 

Section 

II: 

Illustrat

ion 

pages 

Appendi

x I: 

Irregular 

verbs 

Appendi

x II: 

Geograp

hical 

names 

Appendi

x III: 

Numbers 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

360 

 

ar 

labels 

 

3. Symbol

s and 

labels 

 

 

4. Key to 

verb 

pattern 

 

 

5. Key to 

diction

ary 

entries 

 

 

 

6. Underst

anding 

definiti

ons 

 

 

 

 

dictio

nary 

 As 

used 

in the 

dictio

nary 

 A 

guide 

for 

using 

the 

dictio

nary 

 With 

illustr

ations 

on 

how 

to use 

the 

dictio

nary 

 Helpi

ng the 

user 

to 

under

stand 

defini

with 

pictures 

and 

names 

of the 

items in 

British 

and 

Americ

an 

English. 

Section 

III: 

Langua

ge 

study. 

Practica

l topics 

in the 

learning 

and use 

of 

English.  

Section 

IV: 

Maps 

Notes 

on 

usage 

with 

illustrati

Appendi

x IV: 

Punctuat

ions 

Appendi

x V: 

Languag

e of 

literary 

criticism 

Appendi

x VI: 

Notes on 

usage 

Appendi

x VII: 

Defining 

vocabula

ry 



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7. Numbe

rs and 

symbol

s 

tions 

with 

ease 

 As 

used 

in the 

dictio

nary 

and 

for 

gener

al 

knowl

edge 

ons in 

boxes 

located 

on 

differen

t pages. 

Gramma

tical 

Issues 

1. Key to 

verb 

patterns 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Gramm

ar in the 

entries 

 How 

differ

ent 

forms 

of 

verb 

are 

prese

nted 

in the 

dictio

nary 

entrie

s 

 How 

gram

matic

 Irregular 

Verbs: 

Showing 

a list of 

all verbs 

with 

irregular 

forms in 

the 

dictionar

y, except 

those 

with 

hyphenat

ed 

prefix. 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

362 

 

al 

class 

of 

lemm

as are 

indica

ted 

Human 

Resourc

e and 

Funding 

1. Author 

 

2. Adviso

ry 

Board 

 

3. Editors: 

 

a. Chi

ef 

Edit

or 

 

b. Sen

ior 

Edit

or 

 

c. Pho

neti

c 

Edit

or 

A.S. Hornby 

 

Six (6) 

members 

 

 

 

Sally 

Wehmeier  

 

Diana Lea  

 

Michael 

Ashby 

 

Joanna Florio 

Dilys 

Parkinson 

 

Oxford 

University 

Press 

 

  



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363 

 

 

d. Edit

ors 

 

     4.   Funding 

 

Looking at tables 1 and 2 above, the two Igbo bilingual dictionaries 

do not have adequate distribution of their outside matter information 

into the three locations of front, middle and back matter as identified 

by this study. Igwe (1999) has all its outside matter information 

lumped together in the front matter, no middle matter, no back 

matter. This is contrary to the generally acceptable standard by 

various lexicographers that outside matter information should be 

spread into the three locations.  Eke (2001) has front and middle 

matter with scanty and inadequate information, and no back matter. 

Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition has a complete distribution of its 

outside matter information into front matter, middle matter and back 

matter.  The next section provides a further analysis of the 

dictionaries’ outside matter using substance over form. 

 

Substance Over Form Analysis of the Dictionaries’ Outside 

Matter 

 

a. The Obligatory Components of the Dictionaries’ Outside 

Matter 

The obligatory components of a dictionary outside matter are the 

preface and the user’s guide. These are discussed below as identified 

in the various dictionaries’ outside matter. 

 The Preface and User’ Guides 

i. The Preface  



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

364 

 

There is a section designated ‘preface’ in the front matter of Igwe 

(1999) Igbo-English dictionary. However, it does not provide 

information on the function of the dictionary, its subject field, the 

target group neither does it provide information on the empirical 

basis of the dictionary. It is simply a self-introduction of the author’s 

motivation for the production of the dictionary. It gives background 

information on the author’s contributions to the development of the 

Igbo language and contains an aspect of acknowledgement. It 

concludes with a wish that the dictionary will meet the needs of Igbo 

and non-Igbo, who are interested in the Igbo language. 

 

The outside matter of Eke (2001) Igbo-English Dictionary (Okowa 

Okwu) has no preface, the only related information to the preface is 

found on page vi of the front matter without any heading. In that 

single paragraph information, the author states that the dictionary is 

meant for Secondary and Commercial Schools, Colleges of 

Education, and Candidates for SSCE/GCE, Masters Degree and 

others. He adds that it is also helpful to lovers of Igbo language who 

are desirous to learn the language. 

 

The preface of Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition provides 

information on the function of the dictionary, which is text reception 

and production. It is also stated that the dictionary is designed for 

the learning of the English language. Therefore, it is designed to 

support the needs of learners who are designated in the fourth 

paragraph as ‘less experienced learners’ and ‘most advanced 

learners’. It also provides information on empirical basis of the 

dictionary by stating in paragraph three of the preface that the 

definitions are written using a defining-vocabulary of under 300 

words.  

 



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365 

 

 Summary on Preface 

The two Igbo bilingual dictionaries are deficient in the provision of 

adequate preface based on the ‘Substance Over Form’ evaluation. 

Igwe (1999) has a section titled preface, but the content does not 

provide what is required of a dictionary preface. It does not provide 

answers to the evaluation questions. Eke (2001) has no preface, the 

only preface-related information on its outside matter is on the target 

group found on an untitled single paragraph write up on one of the 

pages. The preface of Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition adequately 

answers all the evaluation questions as proposed by ‘Substance Over 

Form’.  It states the function of the dictionary, its subject field, the 

target group, as well as the empirical basis of the dictionary. 

Therefore, it can be considered an adequate example of a dictionary 

preface which is usually located at the front matter. 

 

ii. The User’s Guides 

Based on the definitions of a user’s guide and its contents as 

described by lexicographers such as Karpinska 2012, Svensen 2009, 

Kirkpatrick 1987, Mafela 2014, and using the evaluation questions 

provided by ‘Substance over Form’ approach, it is clear that the two 

Igbo-English (bilingual) dictionaries under this study do not have 

user’s guides. There are no such designated sections that provide 

information on types of data available in the dictionary and where 

they can be found; how best a user can access data for text 

production or text reception when using the dictionary; how the data 

in different sections of the dictionary can complement the data in the 

lemma list, and types of data that can best serve for various user 

situations. 

 

The User’s Guide of Hornby (2000) OALD 6th Edition, titled ‘Key 

to Dictionary Entries’,  gives explicit guide on the types of data 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

366 

 

available in the dictionary, how and where to find them, and how to 

use them. This is done with practical illustrations showing how these 

data types are reflected in the dictionary entries, to grant the user 

easy access to the data or information. This is done under four 

different subheadings, which are: finding the word, finding the 

meaning, using the word, and building your vocabulary.  

 

In summary, it can be said that the preface and the user’s guide 

which are the most relevant and in fact, the obligatory components 

of the outside matter of a dictionary, are lacking in the two Igbo-

English (bilingual) dictionaries under this study. On the other hand, 

Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition has provided a perfect example of 

what the preface and user’s guide of a learner’s dictionary should 

contain. The contents of this user’s guide serve as confirmation that 

the dictionary is a tool for language learning. The comparison is 

summarized in table 4 below. 

 

Table 4: Comparison of the Obligatory Components in the 

Dictionaries’ Outside Matter 

Dictionaries and 

Authors/ 

Nielsen’s  

Obligatory 

Components 

Igwe (1999) 

Igbo-English 

Eke 

(2001) 

 Igbo-

English 

Hornby 

(2000)OALD 

6th Edition 

Preface Available, but 

not adequate  

(no required 

information) 

Not 

available 

Available 

and adequate 

User’s Guide Not available, 

but  

Not 

available 

Available 

and adequate 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 1,  2022 

 

367 

 

partial 

information 

 

The Non-obligatory Components of the Dictionaries’ Outside 

Matter 

There are some other possible contents of a dictionary outside matter 

which have been designated non-obligatory. Some of them that are 

represented in the dictionaries are discussed as follows: 

 Igwe (1999) makes an extensive discussion on Igbo grammatical 

class, provides a list of abbreviations and a brief note on the 

orthography but does not show how it applies to the dictionary 

entries. Eke (2001) only presents a list of abbreviations, the 

orthography of Igbo language and a list on parts of speech without 

any comment or explanation attached. On the other hand, the non-

obligatory contents of Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition are 

designed to enhance the learning of English language, which is the 

function of the dictionary. They therefore meet the needs of the 

target users. These non-obligatory contents are also spread across 

different parts of the dictionary (front, middle and back matter) 

 

5. Summary and Conclusion 

This study was centered on the outside matter of two Igbo-English 

(bilingual) dictionaries and one English (monolingual) dictionary. It 

sorts to analyze and evaluate the outside matter of each of the 

dictionaries according to the identified required contents of a 

dictionary outside matter.  

 

The result of the evaluation reveals that the two Igbo-English 

(bilingual) dictionaries do not provide adequate outside matter 

information, and the available information types are not distributed 

to the appropriate locations. Igwe (1999) lumped all the outside 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

368 

 

matter contents in the front matter, while Eke’s (2001) outside 

matter information is scanty and located in the front and middle 

matter only.  

 

Again, in evaluating the contents of the outside matter of each of the 

dictionaries using “Substance Over Form’ approach, it was 

established that the two Igbo-English (bilingual) dictionaries do not 

provide the required obligatory contents (the preface and the user’s 

guide) of a dictionary, which is of great importance to the user, while 

Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition does. 

With regard to the non-obligatory contents, the two Igbo-English 

dictionaries have some non-obligatory contents, though not 

perfectly adequate for the outside matter of a bilingual learner’s 

dictionary. Nevertheless, some of them are relevant. The non-

obligatory contents of Hornby (2000) OALD 6th edition are 

adequate and commendable as a guide for developing non-

obligatory contents of a learner’s dictionary. 

The weaknesses of the outside matter of the Igbo-English 

dictionaries lie in their inability to provide the required obligatory 

contents for a bilingual learner’s dictionary. Secondly, the non-

obligatory contents were not selected to suit the dictionary types and 

the target audience; some of them are not integrated into the 

dictionary entries. Thirdly, the contents are not well designed and 

evenly distributed to the three locations of a dictionary outside 

matter. However, their strengths are that they have some non-

obligatory contents which are integrated into the dictionary entries.  

 Recommendations 

From the above findings this study proposes that a standard pattern 

for writing outside matter in Igbo dictionaries be adopted and 

awareness created on its importance to the users. This paper 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 1,  2022 

 

369 

 

therefore recommends the following steps to facilitate this much 

needed improvement: 

The obligatory contents – preface and user’s guide should statutorily 

be located at the front matter and provide information as follows: 

a) The preface should provide information on the target 

audience, source of lemma and function(s) of the dictionary 

 

b) The user’s guide should contain information that will enable 

the user in the following ways: show how to access different 

data types with ease when using the dictionary. Explain data 

types that are found in the dictionary and at what locations 

in the dictionary they can be found. Discover how 

information at different sections of the outside matter relates 

to, complement or supplement the data in the wordlist. 

Understand how data at different sections of the dictionary 

can be used for various situations. 

Non-obligatory contents are usually selected based on the dictionary 

type, its function and the target audience. They can navigate 

between the front and back matter. Several suggestions have been 

made on what the non-obligatory information should be for an 

African language dictionary of any type. They may include: 

Pronunciation and orthography, the use of affixes, list of 

abbreviations and their full-form, an explanation on how to find 

words with diacritics, order of arrangement of idiomatic expressions 

and proverbs, information on words that have no direct translation 

etc. The middle matter should provide additional in-between-entries 

information that give further insight into understanding of the 

dictionary entries. They can take the form of pictures and specially 

designed short notes, but need to be orderly and systematically 

arranged. The back matter information should be designed with data 

that is relevant to the African environment, or more specifically the 



Outside Matters in Igbo Dictionaries - Okeke 

 

370 

 

Igbo culture and environment, these will further promote the task of 

language learning which a dictionary is set to achieve.  

 

Awareness on the importance of dictionary outside matter is 

needful, and deliberate effort in that direction would be necessary. 

The outside matter texts can be designed with eye-catching 

characters, fonts and colours. The data may also be presented in 

form of illustrations that will be easy to understand, instead of long 

prose that will require much reading. Secondly, lessons on 

‘Appropriate Dictionary Use: Beginning with the Outside Matter’ 

can be introduced in our institutions of learning, right from the Basic 

Education level (Primary School). Through such knowledge, 

children will grow with the culture of studying the outside matter of 

dictionaries, which will make dictionary use for data retrieval and 

language learning an enjoyable exercise. 

 

 

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