ALTRALANG Journal
Volume 8, Numéro 2, Pages 195-205
2026-10-31
Designing A Specialized Dictionary For Non-native Startup Founders: A Functional Lexicographic Framework For Entrepreneurial Communication
Authors : Nezar Kebaili Amel .
Abstract
Startup founders operate in professional environments in which communication involves specialized terminology, recurring phraseological patterns, and professional genres associated with specific communicative purposes. For non-native English-speaking founders, these communicative practices may generate information needs that extend beyond the identification or translation of isolated terms. This paper examines how such needs can be approached from a specialized lexicographic perspective. Drawing on entrepreneurship studies, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and functional lexicography, the study develops a conceptual framework for the design of a specialized entrepreneurial dictionary for non-native English-speaking startup founders. The framework defines the intended user profile and distinguishes between communicative situations, in which users may require assistance with language-related activities, and cognitive situations, in which they seek knowledge about entrepreneurial concepts and practices. On this basis, it proposes a dictionary model in which information selection is guided by anticipated user needs and may include definitions, contextual examples, collocations and phraseological information, translation equivalents, and pragmatic guidance. Rather than treating entrepreneurial communication as terminology alone, the framework connects specialized lexical information with the professional situations in which founders may need to understand, produce, or interpret entrepreneurial discourse. As a conceptual study, the proposed framework does not claim empirical effectiveness; instead, it provides a theoretically grounded basis for the future development and evaluation of user-oriented entrepreneurial lexical resources in multilingual and non-native contexts.
Keywords
entrepreneurial discourse; specialized lexicography; startup communication; non-native English-speaking startup founders; English for Specific Purposes (ESP); entrepreneurial dictionary.
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