Types and common characteristics of learner’s dictionaries

Outline

1. Learner’s dictionaries as a lexicographic type

2. Some of the well-known English learner’s dictionaries

1. Learner’s dictionaries as a lexicographic type

Traditionally the term ‘learner’s dictionaries’ is confined to dictionaries specifically compiled to meet the demands of the learners for whom English is not their mother tongue. Learner’s dictionaries may be classified in accordance with different principles, the main of which are: 1) the scope of the word-list, and 2) the nature of the information afforded. Depending on what the scope of the word-list and the nature of the information afforded are all learner’s dictionaries are usually divided into: a) elementary/basic/pre-intermediate learner’s dictionaries; b) intermediate learner’s dictionaries; c) upper-intermediate – advanced learner’s dictionaries.

The scope of the word-list. The difference in the scope of the word-list between the three types of learner’s dictionaries is that basic – elementary – pre-intermediate learner’s dictionaries as well as intermediate learner’s dictionaries contain only the most essential and important, the so-called key words of English (see the Longman Elementary Dictionary), whereas upper-intermediate – advanced learner’s dictionaries contain all lexical units that the prospective user may need (see A. S. Hornby’s Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).

Modern learner’s dictionaries, however, may be as comprehensive as general ones in their coverage of phraseological units and expressions. They differ from native speaker’s reference books only in the amount of information about singular and relatively uncommon items which exist in ‘the vocabulary at large’ but do not represent the typical features of the lexicon.

According to the present-day view, the learner’s dictionary is a general synchronic monolingual dictionary.

The common purpose of learner’s dictionaries is to give information on what is currently accepted in modern English. Therefore not only obsolete, archaic and dialectal words are excluded, but also technical and scientific terms, substandard words and phrases. Colloquial and slang words as well as foreign words of common occurrence in English are included only if they are of sort likely to be met by students either in reading or in conversation.

For the selection of entry words into learner’s dictionaries frequency criterion is widely used. Frequency value, an important characteristic of lexical units, enables the compiler to choose the most important, the most frequently used words. The selection of items for learner’s dictionaries may also be based on other principles: the word’s collocability, stylistic reference, derivational ability, semantic structure and some others.

2. The nature of the information afforded. As to the information they provide all learner’s dictionaries may be divided into two groups: 1) those giving equal attention to the word’s semantic characteristics and the way it is used in speech (learner’s dictionaries proper); 2) those presenting different aspects of the vocabulary: presenting the syntagmatic relations between words and the word’s lexical and grammatical valency (dictionaries of collocations), providing information about the word’s structure (derivational dictionaries), supplying synonymous and antonymous words (dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms) and many others.

The structure and content of the entry in learner’s dictionaries also have some peculiar features that usually differ depending on a learner’s level in the study of English. Elementary/basic/pre-intermediate learner’s dictionaries together with intermediate learner’s dictionaries differ, sometimes greatly, from advanced learner’s dictionaries in the number of meanings given and the language used for the description of these meanings. The former present the semantic structure of the words in a simplified form and give usually the most frequently used meaning or meanings. Great importance is also attached to the language in which the definition is couched. The simplest terms are used in elementary/ basic/pre-intermediate learner’s dictionaries and intermediate learner’s dictionaries as the language must be commoner and more familiar to the learner, especially to a beginner, than the words defined.

In most learner’s dictionaries pictorial material is widely used as a means of semantization of the words listed. Pictures can define the meanings of different nouns as well as adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.

The order of arrangement of meanings in learner’s dictionaries is usually empiric, i.e. beginning with the main meaning to minor ones. Besides, the following principles of arrangement are considered proper for language learners: literal uses before figurative, general uses before special, common uses before rare and easily understandable uses before difficult.

In some learner’s dictionaries alternative spellings and pronunciation are avoided, certain derivatives and compounds are omitted.

The supplementary material in learner’s dictionaries may include lists of irregular verbs, common abbreviations, geographical names, common forenames, numerical expressions giving help in the reading, speaking and writing of numbers and expressions which contain them, lists of military ranks, lists of word-formation prefixes and suffixes, tables of weights and measures, a list of colleges and universities, special signs and symbols used in various branches of science.