Systemizing the notation and the annotation of collocations

Abstract: The present article is an attempt at systemizing the notation and the annotation of collocations. In spite of the ever increasing number of works devoted to lexicology, lexicography and, more specifically, phraseology, the question of markers allowing the extraction of units from their phrasal context and of labels destined to specify the usage of units in the context of a language is rarely addressed. The authors and the designers of dictionaries usually develop their own set of markers and labels in order to satisfy the publishing needs but their use remains seldom systematized. The present article offers a critical examination of the use of markers and labels in lexicography and presents the solutions adopted on the matter within a research project carried out at the University of Nice (Pecman 2004a). The conclusion will put forth the importance of the design of systematic and rational modelling procedures for the processing of collocational resources.