英国の英語学習辞典の動向
スポンサーリンク
概要
- 論文の詳細を見る
In this paper I will compare five English learner's dictionaries published in Britain in 1995, and suggest what kinds of information user-friendly dictionaries should provide for intermediate and advanced learners of English. The dictionaries taken up here for critical review are Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English (5th edition), Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (3rd edition), Collins COBUILD English Dictionary (2rd edition), Cambridge International Dictionary of English, and Harrap's Essential English Dictionary. Wish the coming of the computer age, there have been remarkable changes in the compiling of dictionaries. The new dictionaries have drawn ample examples of spoken and written English from computerized corpora, and thus give a clear picture of the current state of the English language. Computer databases also provide us with such information as the frequency, register, style and collocations of words. Although this has been incorporated into grammar and usage 'notes' in the dictionaries, there is still room for improvement from the point of view of foreign learners. Definitions of words have been refined by employing limited 'defining vocabulary' and 'sentence definitions', so that learners can understand word-meanings readily and clearly. Traditionally, dictionaries have been regarded as a tool for recognition of difficult or new words. However, the recent learner's dictionaries are also designed to allow productive use by users, helping them in speaking and writing the language appropriately. Unfortunately, most dictionary users do not seem to be aware of the wealth of information the dictionaries provide for productive use, and they still use their dictionary only for receptive purposes. They will benefit even more from the dictionaries taken up here if they carefully read the user's guide.
- 桃山学院大学の論文
- 1996-12-20