 Books
|
Finding the right foreign language dictionary (2)Choosing the right foreign language dictionary: The basics | Putting a bilingual dictionary to the test Types of language dictionaries: Bilingual vs. monolingual | From unabridged to pocket-size | Electronic & online Putting a foreign language dictionary to the testThe following evaluation methods for foreign language dictionaries assume that learners are trying to develop both receptive and productive proficiencies: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Bilingual dictionaries contain various features that help learners both understand and produce language.Note that the examples for the tests described below are given for English. You should do the same types of tests in the foreign language portion of the dictionary to make sure both languages are treated with equal thoroughness. 1. The greater the number of entries and translations, the better. Look to see how many words the dictionary says it contains. This
information can usually be found on the outside front or back cover
of a dictionary or in the introduction. Because the number of words
in a language differs so much from language to language, it is difficult
to give an exact number of words as the minimum range necessary
for a dictionary to be effective, but it should certainly be in
the 10s of 1000s at the very least. Depending on the language you
are learning, a good dictionary might very easily contain 100s
of 1000s of words. 2. A good foreign language dictionary is easy to understand.Now look more specifically at 8 to 10 words at random and examine
the meanings listed under each one. Are they easy to understand?
Are the differences among various usages clear enough? 3. In a good foreign language dictionary, word forms and derived words and word groups are easy to find. Check some entries with irregular derivations (e.g. shear
> shorn, make > made) to see whether
they are listed along with the word from which they are derived,
whether they are separate entries, or both. Are they easy to find?
If they are listed separately, are there cross references pointing
to the derivations? Make sure that important word forms are listed,
particularly where they are irregular and unpredictable (e.g. child
> children, goose > geese, shine
> shone) and that they are not difficult to find. 4. In a good foreign language dictionary, entries are organized in a way that is easy to use.Check 8 to 10 entries at random. Are the most common meanings listed
first for each word? 5. A good foreign language dictionary contains helpful examples of usage.Check some entries at random to confirm that the there are sufficient
examples of usage so that you will understand exactly how the word
may be used. For instance, when you look up decision, is
the common phrase to make a decision given? Or when you look
up kite, do you find to fly a kite under the listing?
If you know the International Phonetic Alphabet, another important feature to look for is a pronunciation guide. Many dictionaries include a phonetic transcription of each entry. This is especially important for languages that are not written phonetically, making the pronunciation of its vocabulary words largely unpredictable. These guidelines should help you to identify how useful a dictionary really is. An example of a dictionary entry that passes these tests is included on our introductory page about choosing a foreign language dictionary. Source consulted: Learning Vocabulary in Another Language, by I.S.P. Nation, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2001. Choosing the right foreign language dictionary: The basics | Putting a bilingual dictionary to the test Types of language dictionaries: Bilingual vs. monolingual | From unabridged to pocket-size | Electronic & online |
