On The Glosses In The Definition Of Chinese-english Learners’ Dictionaries From User-perspective

A gloss is a short explanation used as an instrument for supplementing necessary information within the entries in dictionaries. When a gloss is used in the definition, then it is called the gloss in the definition. The gloss in the definition, as an additional but a multi-dimensional explanation part to the definition in the dictionaries,as well as the core part of the definition, represents the meanings of the headwords.However, in recent years, many problems about glosses have appeared in the main published Chinese-English dictionaries, involving much fewer glosses in the definitions and only some bare equivalents in the definitions. In short, they are not systemic and complete enough for the compilers.Based on user-perspective, this thesis attempts to construct a new model, by combining theory of norms and exploitations(TNE) and multi-dimensional definition theory(MDDT), in order to improve the presentations of glosses in the definition in Chinese-English Learners’ dictionaries(CELDs) according to the seven principles of the new model, which are category view, encyclopedic view, discrimination view,gestalt view, usage view, notation view and salience view. This research focuses on the definitions in three main Chinese-English Learners’ dictionaries(CELDs)--- a New Century Chinese-English Dictionary(NCCED), New Age Chinese-English Dictionary(NACED) and the Chinese-English Dictionary(Third Edition)(CED3).With the method of equidistant sampling, we get many pages of definitions of entries in NCCED, NACED and CED3. And then according to the seven principles of the new model, we make a calculation and discussion on those definitions. The results show that the presentations of the glosses in the definitions in Chinese-English Learners’ Dictionaries are much fewer. The average numbers of glosses for every sense in polysemes are much fewer than 1. And it is very different about the numbers of glosses in the definitions among the seven principles. All of these problems will affect the EFL learners. Starting from this point, we improve and regulate the glosses in the definitions according to the different functions of the seven principles. That isto say, the six principles stand closely, which all reflect the salience principle commonly and the seven views or principles are all important and indispensable for forming the glosses in the definition.The research not only improves the glosses in the definitions in CELDs to some degree, but also pioneers the measures on the optimization of the glosses in the definitions in CELDs from a new model, showing that glosses in the definitions in CELDs can make great contributions to the comprehensive and productive abilities in English for dictionary users, especially in English writings and Chinese-English translations. What’s more, this thesis provides a theoretical support for the compiling of the glosses in the definitions in bilingual dictionaries.