Vocabulary control

Form of terms

In principle, descriptors and non-descriptors take the form of nouns, gerunds or phrases. The plural is used for most terms, except for abstract concepts, words which do not have a plural form or for which the plural form is normally not used, proper names, abbreviations and acronyms, which are displayed in the singular. Many terms are compound terms, viz. a combination of individual words which together form a term (e.g. structural adjustment, assault and battery, access to the sea). Compound terms often, but not always, contain an adjective.

Spelling and punctuation

British English is preferred, but American-English variants are included as non-preferred terms. Spelling, the use of capitals and punctuation are based on The New Oxford Dictionary of English (2001).

Punctuation is kept to a minimum. However, apostrophes are included (e.g. women’s rights) and hyphens are retained where they would normally be used in compound terms (e.g. female-headed households). Names of African languages and ethnic groups beginning with an exclamation mark are alphabetized by first letter. Accents are used where applicable, such as in French and Portuguese proper names.

Choice of terms

The thesaurus comprises a large number of non-preferred terms (‘Used for’ references). These include synonyms, (American English) spelling variants and alternative names for ethnic groups, languages, and polities. ‘Used for’ references are also used for upward posting, that is, specific concepts are entered under a more general term, e.g. ritual objects, Used for amulets, fetishes, talismans.

Qualifiers between round brackets are used to distinguish between descriptors which are spelled the same, specifically proper names, e.g. Konde languages (Malawi, Tanzania) and Konde languages (Mozambique, Tanzania). They are also used for literary genres, e.g. novels (form), and particular types of publication, e.g. bibliographies (form).

Proper names are included for countries and regions, ethnic groups, languages, polities, various types of organization, notably political parties and international (African) organizations, and historical events. Abbreviations are preferred for names of organizations when the organization is well known under the abbreviated name or acronym (e.g. OAU). There is a cross-reference from the full term to the abbreviation.