| Dictionaries have always been considered as significant English learning tools among language learners, especially to second language learners. Recent years, with the high speed and easy access to the internet, increasing number of second language learners incline to refer to online dictionaries. Comparing to traditional paper-based dictionaries, online dictionaries provide language learners to obtain the information about the looked-up words with an easy and fast way. Internet also convenient online dictionaries by consistently and promptly updating information and integrating new data and new developments. Therefore, online dictionaries have been extensively used among students. However, Nesi has questioned that the use of online dictionaries limited learners from flexibility using words, and lack of efficiency. Since previous studies on dictionaries often center on issues such as dictionary usage in context of foreign language learning, and evolution of dictionary types and contents, little research focused on analyzing the efficiency of online dictionaries. Therefore, a comparison between the most popular online dictionaries is of essential necessity as it could give language learners suggestion on how to choose the proper and efficient online dictionaries.According to Bogaards, receptive use means that the dictionary may make a point clear and provide easy ways to L2 learners so as to understand the message of some text; while productive use refers to the fact that dictionaries help language learners to understand how to use unfamiliar words and expressions or to choose the most appropriate one amongst a set of possible words, so as to produce a L2. Bogaards mentioned that the ultimate aim of vocabulary acquisition is productive vocabulary which can be transferred from receptive vocabulary through a series of strategies, such as learning motivation, vocabulary note and eliciting and so on. Mc Alpine and Myles note that including more linking words, collocations, idioms, polite expressions and usage notes rather than only offer the definition of the word can be helpful for the productive use of dictionaries. Based on these, the thesis tries to analyze dictionaries’ receptive and productive use through the noting ways, examples, eliciting methods, connections, and collocations and so on.Focusing attention has been paid to the comparison study upon three dictionaries, Cambridge Learners’ Dictionary(CLD), the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(LDOCE) and the Youdao Online Dictionary(Youdao). CLD is the most containable monologue dictionary published by Cambridge University; LDOCE is the most understandable monologue dictionary since it is explained by 2,000 common words; while Youdao is the most popular bilingual dictionary among Chinese students. Hoping that their efficiency on receptive use and productive use can be understood by analyzing their note, eliciting ways, and explanation etc. thus to help students clearly understand how to choose appropriate dictionaries and acquire vocabulary in a better way. Therefore, three groups of words have been chose as research words: 1. tent, wheelbarrow, screwdriver(Words that are easy to translate but difficult to define); 2. on the contrary, in spite of, according to(Words that can only be understood in context); 3. knee, toe, chin(Words that could be translated by more than one alternative word in the other language). It also possesses three questions for the study: 1. Do the CLD, LDOCE and Youdao provide sufficient information for the target words? 2. Are the CLD, LDOCE and Youdao good sites for receptive use? 3. Are the CLD, LDOCE and Youdao good sites for productive use?The result reveals that: firstly, even though all of them offer different information for the selected items. LDOCE and Youdao provided more sufficient notes for the selected entries, CLD had less information; Secondly, in terms of the productive and receptive use of dictionaries, CLD and Youdao can be good reference works for receptive use, and productive use for LDOCE since it recommends the exact environment for applying the vocabulary that is code with productive theory. In this case, we should make use of different types of dictionaries in according to our needs. If words only play the role of helping understand meanings we could choose CLD and Youdao; while for acquisition and mastering purpose, LDOCE tends to be more powerful.In conclusion, it can be suggested that students should be able to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of dictionaries so as to choose a dictionary to fit their needs. They should aiming at acquiring the vocabulary knowledge at long time rather than contending with know it temporary. |
