Discrimination Of English Equivalents In Chinese-English Dictionaries

Near-synonymy is a common linguistic phenomenon. In Chinese-English dictionaries (CE dictionaries), various English equivalents for the same Chinese entry word can also be seen as near-synonyms. The CE dictionary is an important reference book for Chinese EFL learners in their English learning. The significance of providing the synonym discrimination for English equivalents in CE dictionaries cannot be ignored. The thesis intends to propose a theoretical model for the discrimination of English equivalents in CE dictionaries.The thesis makes a critical review on the study of near-synonyms from the following four aspects: definitions of near-synonyms, features of near-synonyms, discrimination of near-synonyms, and representations of near-synonyms in different dictionaries. Though lexicographers have put much effort into it, the insufficiencies are rather evident. The result of a survey shows that the Chinese EFL learners are not satisfied with the discrimination of English equivalents in CE dictionaries. The way of how a CE dictionary should deal with the discrimination of English equivalents deserves further study.The theory of Second Language Acquisition is used in the present research to explain the necessity of including English equivalents discrimination in CE dictionaries. Some theories are then introduced as the theoretical foundation of the present study. They are componential analysis theory, prototype theory, lexical field theory, and theories of words meaning and meaning functions.Based on the above theories, the thesis proposes a multi-dimension model and a series of seven criteria for the discrimination of English equivalents. The thesis also proposes some practical ways for the representations of English equivalents discrimination in CE dictionaries.