Essential Skills for a Lexicographer: Based on Pashto Lexicography

How Pashto dictionaries meet rules of modern lexicography? Lexicography is a division of linguistic working on recording and developing data of languages. Pashto is one of the languages which do not have many resources in lexicography. Most Afghan lexicographer using traditional methods for making dictionary which can not afford the user’s needs. The paper aims encouraging lexicographer to follow modern lexicography methods and rules in Pashto. As well as, explains that lexicographers need to learn language and dictionary-making skills which help lexicographer in comprehensive dictionary. This study explores and compare key trends in both Afghan and international lexicographer practices. Furthermore, critically examines the current state of Pashto dictionaries; highlights significant methodological shortcomings, and proposes a set of well-structured recommendations to address the gaps. There are many problems in Pashto-Pashto (mono-lingual) dictionaries regarding data collection, grammar, explanations, definition. Therefore, the dictionaries do not meet users’ needs due to missing the standards and rules of modern dictionaries and lexicography. Moreover, the study shown Pashto descriptive mono-lingual dictionaries does not follow modern rules of lexicography, digital tools and often no update. The article tells that lexicography is not just a technical job but an academic work that helps save and grow the language.