ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the creation of dictionaries and other lexicographic resources using corpora. It presents lexicography as a driving force in the development of corpus linguistic methods. In a comparison of pre-corpus, early corpus and post-corpus dictionaries, it demonstrates how corpora have been used to make dictionaries which meet the needs of users both as tools for finding information about the meaning and use of language and as means of asserting linguistic and cultural identity. The characteristics of lexicographically useful corpora, be they monolingual, multilingual, general, specialised, learner, historical or spoken, are set out, along with examples of their use in commercial and academic dictionaries. An overview of the most frequently used corpus tools for lexicography is provided. This is followed by a discussion of the most commonly used features of these tools in lexicographic analysis. The chapter concludes with a reflection on the way the use of corpora has not only changed lexicographic methods but also the content and form of dictionaries. It is suggested that closer integration of dictionaries and corpus data with other technologies is changing the way dictionaries are considered in the public imagination.
