Metalexicographic Analyses of Zamboanga Chavacano Dictionaries

To date, Zamboanga Chavacano dictionaries have managed to evade the inquiry of lexicographers or dictionary critics, insinuating that none of these have been subjected to the lens of an extraneous investigator. This paper attempted to investigate the metalexicographic structure of four dictionaries of the preceding language, or better yet, specifically, the microstructural component, which was the indications in every headword, the macrostructural section, which was the orthography subscribed by the dictionaries, and the mega-structural constituent with foci on the content and usefulness of the front and back matters of each. The study revealed that the definitions of each dictionary are relatively at variance with one another but likewise share a commonality—they are short, which may compromise capturing all the word’s senses. The orthography of each of the dictionaries adheres to the Hispanic influence of spelling words with <c> and <qu> pronounced /k/, and <c> and <s> pronounced /s/.