Name: Achyar Munawar Compare & Contrast Essay

Student ID: 150203151

Paper Dictionary And Electronic Dictionary

Almost of English Department Students in Ar-Raniry Islamic University has a paper

dictionary or an electronic dictionary. Both of this dictionary give us the meaning of words that
we don’t know in our language. However, there are have so many differences between this
two dictionaries. A paper dictionary basically seen in terms of appearance are thick and huge
and sometime was too heavy to carry eventhough there also has the small paper dictionary
version, but in small paper dictionary version has less vocabulary than the huge paper
dictionary. Somehow, the contents of paper dictionary are sometimes incomplete and not up to
date. And also the dictionary that students use basically doesn’t have the idiom ones. With this
dictionary students was troubled in finding a word sometimes also take a long time to look for
it. Therefore, some students lazy to bring a paper dictionary when they studying in the class.

Furthermore, the paper dictionary also has some advantages. Basically we can find out
who created of the paper dictionary, and we could take the trusted creator as well. And also in
content of this dictionary sometime give us the information or example in grammatically. A
paper dictionary could be make students found some interesting word, when they found the
word what they want, they can see directly the word above and below it as well. However, the
dictionary also has purpose to translate the meaning of words that we don’t know.

In the other side, the electronic dictionary are much more practically to use. Mainly we
don’t have to buy this dictionary in expensive cost, because it is the free app that was provided
by Developers. Some programmers has developed some dictionaries app for mobile phone, in
the sense of appearance it’s make students more easier to use the dictionary everywhere and
anytime from their mobile phone. And also the electronic dictionary could be updated
vocabulary any time included idiom, especially for online dictionary and the users would get
the immediate change. Some of electronic dictionary is equipped with various features such as
pronunciation of words, so students can listen directly the pronunciation of words what they
want.
 Moreover, the electronic dictionary also has some disadvantages. Basically some
lecturers in several courses prohibit the student to using the electronic dictionary, especially in
exams. And also in content of the electronic dictionary, some vocabulary can be translated by
someone non profesional, so the vocabulary might be quite wrong. In this case, the users could
be used the trusted electronic dictionary or the trusted developer of dictionary app for mobile
phone. And the electronic dictionary is not suitable for the long time users because it is not
good for their eyes.

However, this is not the problem, eventhough there are have a lot of differences
between the paper dictionary and the electronic dictionary. But that still have the same purpose
which tell us the meaning of the words in our language also we can understand about it.