An Ideal Dictionary
As we know that there are a lot of different kinds of dictionaries in various languages, such as English, Chinese, Korean，Arabic and so on. Today we are talking about English dictionaries. There are three dictionaries occur to me, they are Cambridge International Dictionary of English, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.
Each of the above dictionaries has its own strengths, and its own weaknesses, as do their respective users. Crystal once said "There is a sense in which biggest has to be best with dictionaries, as with any reference books. On the other hand, it is obvious that to meet the needs of individual people and circumstances, information has to be selected and presented in usable form." As every dictionary carrying student knows, weight is a legitimate practical consideration; there has to be a happy medium between the power of a substantial learner ’s dictionary and the portability of a pocket dictionary.
We, as users of dictionaries, have notions about what a dictionary looks like, what it is for and perhaps even why the particular information contained within one. Each of the dictionaries discussed above is intended for pedagogical use - by students, or by teachers. The vocabulary, of course, is very carefully chosen to suit the specific needs of language learners; this is possible now, as computers are
widely used in many spheres of life. Most importantly, information becomes available on the differences between formal and informal language use, and those areas between the two extremes. But, it is not only frequency information that is available. In my ideal dictionary, I hope it contains vast amounts of vocabulary, sentence，paragraph and examples. Dialect words are also quite necessary to be included, in this way, the user may tailor the dictionary to his or her specific needs. For instance, if a learner were studying Hiberno-English literature, it is quite possible that he or she may come across some unusual words, word usages, collocations or constructions, which are peculiar to Ireland, and as such, would be unavailable to the learner in his or her pedagogical dictionary, as dialecticisms.
As far as I am concerned, it is not just access to information that is important, it is also the ability to tailor that information to the needs of the situation, and use it appropriately, that makes the ideal dictionary ideal, and so, perhaps, the ideal dictionary can only ever be used to its best effect by the ideal user. Meanwhile, the ordinary user may use the ideal dictionary to the best of his or her ability, and reap the benefits of its use.
李蓉蓉 0307100206
An Ideal Dictionary
As we know that there are a lot of different kinds of dictionaries in various languages, such as English, Chinese, Korean，Arabic and so on. Today we are talking about English dictionaries. There are three dictionaries occur to me, they are Cambridge International Dictionary of English, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.
Each of the above dictionaries has its own strengths, and its own weaknesses, as do their respective users. Crystal once said "There is a sense in which biggest has to be best with dictionaries, as with any reference books. On the other hand, it is obvious that to meet the needs of individual people and circumstances, information has to be selected and presented in usable form." As every dictionary carrying student knows, weight is a legitimate practical consideration; there has to be a happy medium between the power of a substantial learner ’s dictionary and the portability of a pocket dictionary.
We, as users of dictionaries, have notions about what a dictionary looks like, what it is for and perhaps even why the particular information contained within one. Each of the dictionaries discussed above is intended for pedagogical use - by students, or by teachers. The vocabulary, of course, is very carefully chosen to suit the specific needs of language learners; this is possible now, as computers are
widely used in many spheres of life. Most importantly, information becomes available on the differences between formal and informal language use, and those areas between the two extremes. But, it is not only frequency information that is available. In my ideal dictionary, I hope it contains vast amounts of vocabulary, sentence，paragraph and examples. Dialect words are also quite necessary to be included, in this way, the user may tailor the dictionary to his or her specific needs. For instance, if a learner were studying Hiberno-English literature, it is quite possible that he or she may come across some unusual words, word usages, collocations or constructions, which are peculiar to Ireland, and as such, would be unavailable to the learner in his or her pedagogical dictionary, as dialecticisms.
As far as I am concerned, it is not just access to information that is important, it is also the ability to tailor that information to the needs of the situation, and use it appropriately, that makes the ideal dictionary ideal, and so, perhaps, the ideal dictionary can only ever be used to its best effect by the ideal user. Meanwhile, the ordinary user may use the ideal dictionary to the best of his or her ability, and reap the benefits of its use.
李蓉蓉 0307100206