Reinforcing or challenging stereotypes? Uncovering Africa’s image in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Abstract

As instruments of intellectual and cultural transmission, dictionaries are both shaped by social practices and influential in framing social realities through their linguistic choices. This study employs the combined approach of transitivity analysis and content analysis to investigate representations of Africa in the example sentences of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (10th edition). The findings reveal three key patterns: (1) While multiple facets of Africa’s image are addressed, the dictionary places disproportionate emphasis on the continent’s geographical dimension; (2) Africa is predominantly represented through material and relational processes, with limited use of mental and verbal processes, suggesting a pattern of objectification wherein ‘Africa’ rarely appears as Actor, Sensor, or Sayer; and (3) Although Africa is generally depicted in neutral or positive terms, certain negative portrayals persist. This study contributes to the field of dictionary criticism and offers new perspectives on how English learner’s dictionaries may reinforce ideologies and promote – or sometimes hinder – intercultural understanding.