Simulating language learners’ online dictionary usage

An experiment with Grimm Online Study DictionaryFrench/Hungarian direction

by M. Adorján

The dictionarypublished by Grimm

Publishing House, Hungary

online version of printed dictionary

(7 Ls: Hu, Eng, Ger, Fr, Sp, Ita, Rus, Dutch,

project financed by EU + Hungary)

“New search options” – what, how?

“Interactive” – features?

A study dictionary – Why study? What should it include? How is it different?

An online dictionary – Essential features / Student practice ( vs. Teacher requirements/ habits)

An online study dictionary - ! What should it include? How will learners use it?

Experimenting with a text Random text for reading comprehension, general

content, paragraph 1. Level: (pre)-int. To simulate student dictionary practice http://

french.about.com/library/reading/bl-luciea.htmLucie, étudiante des États-Unis, vient d'arriver à

Charles de Gaulle, l'aéroport qui accueille chaque jour à Paris, 1 million de visiteurs. Paris. Enfin. Ça a toujours été le rêve de Lucie : vivre dans la Ville lumière, la ville des beaux arts, du quartier latin, du vin, et qui sait, peut-être la ville d'une petite histoire d'amour.

Anticipated entries Lucie ? étudiante – étudiant/e ? des / de États-Unis ? - Cultural info? vient d'arriver : arriver?? À Charles de Gaulle ? Charles ? / de

Gaulle ? l'aéroport : aéroport qui accueille ??? form chaque jour Paris ? - Cultural info? million visiteurs ? enfin

Ça (a) toujours ? été le rêve vivre dans la Ville lumière ??? ville beaux arts ??? as entry? du quartier latin ??? vin et qui sait ??? Also: where would it be

stored? peut-être petite ?? form histoire amour

Actual entries in blueTwo modes: traditional

“word search mode ” / “text mode”.

This is “text mode”.Non-entries in black.Surprises, e.g.: arriver,

aéroport, une = non-entries – all with premodification!

Also: étudiante, visiteurs, petite, etc. – variants!

Word by word: histoireMixed-language info: Hu, Fr. Register or

guideword?

Petite – only as addititonal info!

Accueille – missing variants, why?

Student look-up procedure: 1. entering text, selecting “text mode” – no match, 2. going back to “word search mode”, trying accueille – no match, 3. changing form – accueil, yes (see below), 4. going back to “text search mode” – (sometimes text disappears from box).

États-Unis - no, Paris – yes How much encyclopedic information is possible/necessary to include? Much more than in printed version.

Lumière (main entry): students will look it up separately from Ville …

Lumière (additional info): students will look it up separately from Ville (unless they realize it is a proper noun)

Possible student strategy: Wikipediasearched

Beaux-arts = entry(in word list only listed as beaux)

Charles = entry

Vient - missingVient – conjugation/

derivation / alternative forms info?

Conclusions for lexicographersThis is a study dictionary – basic (1000?)

words in (all?) / most frequent forms should be included. (Yes, the database will be bigger…)

Also: it seems words were not extracted from corpus but built from database, they should be stored separately as entries AND with premodified variations if premod. is possible (again, only basic cases?, there aren’t that many!) see non-entry case: l'aéroport

More encyclopedic info(?)

Questions for teachersStudents using the dictionary – Teachers’

/Lexicographers’ desire vs. reality / practice

Do sts. realize that the word has variant forms?

Do they know the alternative form(s)?Are they willing to look it up as a new entry?…A good dictionary, and good that it exists.Improvements are always possible, especially

online.