Dictionary form in decoding, encoding and retention: Further insights

© European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/recall/article/dictionary-form-in-decoding-encoding-and-retention-further-insights/A91F5AB5CBF5C8538844D1DF2D65F070 doi:10.1017/S0958344017000131 doi:10.1017/S095834401700013

SUBJECT-VERB CONCORD WITH COLLECTIVE NOUNS OR THE COUNT-MASS DISTINCTION: WHICH IS MORE DIFFICULT FOR POLISH LEARNERS OF ENGLISH?

Two aspects of English syntax were chosen for closer analysis in the present paper, i.e., subject- verb concord involving collective nouns in the singular and the syntactic marking of noun reclas- sification from the category of uncountable nouns to that of countable ones with the help of the indefinite article. The study aims to find out which of them is more difficult for Polish learners of English and whether the degree of difficulty depends on the learners’ proficiency in the foreign language. The discussion is based on the results yielded by an empirical study in which interme- diate and advanced Polish students of English took part. The subjects had to complete partial English translations of Polish sentences with specific low-frequency English nouns which substi- tuted true English equivalents of the Polish nouns shown in the sentences. The study reveals that marking subject-verb concord in the case of collective subject nouns was as difficult for the sub- jects as signaling the count-mass distinction by means of the indefinite article and the zero arti- cle, respectively

Lacunarity, lexicography and beyond: integration of the introduction of a linguo-cultural concept and the development of L2 learners’ dictionary skills

The paper discusses the integration of presenting theoretical linguocultural knowledge and developing dictionary skills in advanced students of a foreign language. The proposed approach allows showing students the interdisciplinary character of various issues, one of which is cross-linguistic lacunarity. It is given as an example of a phenomenon, whose introduction can be combined with the development of students’ dictionary use abilities. Lacunarity consists in the lack of some source language elements in the target language. Two main kinds of lacunae are distinguished: linguistic and referential ones. The focal issue of the paper is how the information on the lacunary character of words can be presented to advanced students of English as a foreign language, in this paper Polish learners, so that they could consider the phenomenon in terms of bilingual lexicography: first, becoming aware of the specifics of their description; second, practising their dictionary skills by analysing entries for selected lacunary lexical and phraseological units; third, combining the information and skills in doing creative tasks, related to lacunarity and its bilingual lexicographic descriptions. Furthermore, additional activities are proposed for revising the acquired knowledge on lacunarity and advancing dictionary use. Offering students tasks, which require them to adopt a different perspective, aims to increase their involvement in the learning process and to foster their autonomy as learners. Encouraging learners to reflect on lacunae and their lexicographic description is expected to familiarize them with the phenomenon and simultaneously to develop their dictionary skills by doing especially designed [email protected] University of Bialystok101-11

Why one and two do not make three: Dictionary form revisited

The primary aim of the article is to compare the usefulness of paper and electronic versions of OALDCE7 (Wehmeier 2005) for language encoding, decoding and learning. It is explained why, in contrast to Dziemianko's (2010) findings concerning COBUILD6 (Sinclair 2008), but in keeping with her observations (Dziemianko 2011) with regard to LDOCE5 (Mayor 2009), the e-version of OALDCE7 proved to be no better for language reception, production and learning than the dictionary in book form.1 An attempt is made to pinpoint the micro- and macrostructural design features which make e-COBUILD6 a better learning tool than e-OALDCE7 and e-LDOCE5. Recommendations concerning further research into the significance of the medium (paper vs. electronic) in the process of dictionary use conclude the study. The secondary aim which the paper attempts to achieve is to present the status of replication as a scientific research method and justify its use in lexicography. Keywords:Paper Dictionaries, Electronic Dictionaries, Dictionary Use, Encoding, Decoding, Retention, Research Methods, Replication, Menus, Highlighting, Noise, Access, Entry Lengt

On the presentation and placement of collocations in monolingual English learners’ dictionaries: Insights into encoding and retention

The paper reports on an empirical investigation in which the effect of lexicographic presentation and positioning of collocations on encoding and retention was analysed. Two places of collocations in entries (entry-initial and entry-final) in three presentation conditions (box, bold before examples, bold within examples) were taken into consid- eration. The experiment centred on verb+noun collocations and was conducted among a large group of non-native speakers of English at the intermediate level. The results show that the presentation and place of collocations significantly affected their use. Remembering collocations, in turn, proved to be conditioned by the adopted mode of presentation, but not by their distribution in the entry. The paper ends with suggestions for optimizing the presentation of collocations depending on their position in the micro- structure. The investigation does not prove the usefulness of collocation boxes

Dictionary, lexicon, glossary, wordbook or thesaurus? The usefulness of OALDCE7 and OLT for choosing the right word

The aim of the present study is to investigate the usefulness of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (7th edition, OALDCE7) and the Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus (OLT) for discriminating between synonyms. The paper is underpinned by empirical research, in which 73 advanced learners of English took part. In the experiment, words appropriate for given contexts had to be indicated in different synonym sets. The results reveal that neither dictionary significantly shortened the time needed to complete the task. Nonetheless, the use of OLT much more often resulted in successful synonym selection. Interestingly, synonym notes, present in both dictionaries, did not affect the subjects’ choices. Besides, different information was usually referred to in the two dictionaries. In OALDCE7 the subjects paid attention most often to definitions, while in OLT – to examples. The results of the supplementary questionnaire suggest that the students’ familiarity with the two dictionary types could not have affected their performance. They were nonetheless more satisfied with their results when they had OLT at their disposal rather than OALDCE7. Yet, they were critical of the arrangement of synonyms in the OLT synonym clusters, where the alphabetical order, rather than frequency, would be a better solution

On the use(fulness) of paper and electronic dictionaries

The aim of the chapter is to compare the use and usefulness of paper and electronic dictionaries, as revealed by the latest research in the field. Various formats of electronic dictionaries are taken into consideration and the effect of the electronic medium is discussed. The main frame of reference was provided by the empirical studies which compare the use of paper and electronic dictionaries. Nonetheless, attention is also paid to the investigations which focused on one medium, but yielded findings relevant to the present discussion. The analysis is structured around the following areas: decoding, encoding, speed, look-up frequency, learning and appreciation. In view of the wide variety of the studies referred to, comparability issues and limitations of current research are highlighted. Possible directions of further investigations into paper vs. electronic dictionary use are outlined in the final part of the chapter