The use and abuse of EFL dictionaries

Autori

• Hilary Nesi

Parametri

• Letteratura mondiale
• Narrativa

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The book opens with a review of research on dictionary use, highlighting experimental design issues such as unreliable questionnaire responses and the necessity for detailed accounts of individual consultations, sampled adequately to represent specific populations. Subsequent chapters report experiments addressing these issues. The first two studies reveal that while dictionary use during a reading comprehension test affects completion speed, it does not enhance test scores. This lack of improvement in comprehension is linked to the test design, the dictionaries used, and the users' choices of look-up words. Three additional studies explore users' abilities to interpret dictionary entries, utilizing computers to collect data on numerous consultations. Findings show minimal differences in consultation speed and overall success among three major EFL dictionaries. Interestingly, Malaysian ESL subjects, despite higher vocabulary scores, are slower and less successful in interpreting entries compared to Portuguese EFL subjects. The results also indicate that productive success is not influenced by the presence of examples in entries. Ultimately, the research concludes that dictionary consultation involves users matching their pre-existing beliefs about word meanings with dictionary segments, often selecting familiar-sounding entries that may lack essential information. When conflicts arise between these beliefs and dictionary infor

Lingua: Inglese

Pubblicato: 2000