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In this paper ‘zero information’ is information that is NOT given in the dictionary text in an explicit manner, while ‘explicit information’ appears in the dictionary entry. Countability of nouns, for instance, is explicitly indicated (usually by means of such labels as [C] and [U]) in some dictionaries (‘explicit information’), but it does not constitute information categories in others (‘zero information’). Zero information may or may not convey specific meanings. Countable nouns, for example, may be shown by ‘zero labels’ (i.e. they are not labelled at all). In this case, zero information has the same meaning as the grammatical label [C]. If zero information has a (hidden) meaning, it is ‘pseudo-zero information’; if not, it is ‘genuine zero information.’ Zero information is often carelessly used by the lexicographer, and it may have two or more meanings at the same time A worse use may create unintelligible zero information. The former is termed ‘polysemous pseudo-zero information,’ while the latter is no more than genuine zero information. This paper discusses the pros and cons of using zero information, especially pseudo-zero information, in the English dictionary. It also evaluates the results of a survey carried out among thirty-one dictionary users (Japanese learners of English) in order to find out whether or not and how they interpret (pseudo-)zero information.
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