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Evaluation of Dictionaries: The Collins COBUILD English Learner's Dictionary

(With Portuguese)

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 Evaluation of Dictionaries: The Collins

COBUILD English Learner’s Dictionary

(With Portuguese)

Author: Tomás de Aquino Caluyua Yambi

2018

1. Introduction

Dictionaries generally serve for reflecting how language is used in society and

advocate for correct usage based on academic standards. It is not very easy to define

the term dictionary. Zgusta (1971) attempted to define dictionary as a book or

collection of words in a specific language, often listed alphabetically, with definitions,

etymologies, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one

language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon. Furthermore,

Béjoint (2000) defined dictionary as a lexicographical product that is characterised by

three significant features: (1) it has been prepared for one or more functions; (2) it

contains data that have been selected for the purpose of fulfilling those functions; and

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(3) its lexicographic structures link and establish relationships between the data so

that they can meet the needs of users and fulfil the functions of the dictionary.

There is huge variety of dictionaries for consultation. As professional

practitioner, one has to be aware of how dictionaries are organized to facilitate the

teaching/learning process. In this piece of paper, the “ Collins COBUILD English

Learner’s Dictionary (with Portuguese)”, considered a B1+ for intermediate students

will be analysed. To attain such objective attention will be drawn to: authority, scope,

information contained, language explanation, vocabulary presentation and lexical

units and illustrations.

2. Authority

Collins COBUILD English Learner’s Dictionary with Portuguese is a brand-

new, illustrated dictionary taken from the 4.5-billion-word Collins Corpus (the

world’s largest database for Language study) to show learners how the words are used

in authentic contexts. Published in 2011, this dictionary covers all the essential words

and phrases that students need to learn. The definitions are written in full sentences,

using simple language, and the dictionary contains thousands of examples of real

English, showing the learner how English is really used. Additional help is provided

by the thousands of Portuguese translations. Every item has a Portuguese translation,

which acts as a stepping-stone from the student's first language to the wealth of

information contained in the dictionary.

3. Scope

According to the scope of their word-list linguistic dictionaries are divided

into general and restricted. The terms general and restricted do not refer to the size of

the dictionary or to the number of items listed. What is meant is that the former

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contain lexical units in ordinary use with this or that proportion of items from various

spheres of life, while the latter make their choice only from a certain part of the word-

stock, the restriction being based on any principle determined by the compiler.

Therefore, the dictionary in reference is considered as a general one, as it represents

the vocabulary as a whole rather than simply the vocabulary of a specific area. For

example in the same dictionary we can find the words: phobia and phone which

belong to distinct areas. As for the selection of entry words into this learner’s

dictionary frequency criterion may be used. Frequency value is an important

characteristic of lexical units, enables the compiler to choose the most important, the

most frequently used words. The selection of items for learner’s dictionaries may also

be based on other principles: the word’s collocability, stylistic reference, derivational

ability, semantic structure and some others

4. Information contained

According to the information they provide dictionaries fall into two groups:

explanatory and specialized. While explanatory dictionaries present a wide range of

data, especially with regard to the semantic aspect of the vocabulary items entered,

specialized dictionaries on the other hand deal with lexical units only in relation to

some of their characteristics, i.e. only in relation to their etymology, frequency,

pronunciation, usage. The dictionary being analysed is an explanatory one, as it

provides essentially semantic information of the items. For example, the vocabulary

serve is first represented its pronunciation (sɜːʳv), followed by its function as a noun

(a serve is when you hit a ball or shuttlecock in a game of tennis....), another function

as a V-T (if you serve your country, a person or an organization you do useful work to

them), and finally its meaning in Portuguese-- servir. Furthermore, the order of

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arrangement of meanings in this learner’s dictionary is usually empiric, i.e. beginning

with the main meaning to minor ones.

5. Language Explanation

As far as language of explanations is concerned, whether the information

about the items entered given in the same language or in another language, all

dictionaries are divided into: monolingual and bilingual. Whereas in monolingual

dictionaries the words and the information about them are given in the same language,

in bilingual dictionaries on the other hand, are those that explain words by giving their

equivalents in another language. They may have two principal purposes: reference for

translation and guidance for expression. The example given above can serve to

illustrate here that despite the dictionary provided two functions of the word serve, it

ended up providing the meaning of the in Portuguese—servir. In here is notable that

English and Portuguese languages are present, turning it a bilingual dictionary.

6. Vocabulary Presentation

As far as vocabulary presentation, dictionaries fall into diachronic and

synchronic perspectives. Diachronic or historical dictionaries reflect the development

of the English vocabulary by recording the history of form and meaning for every

word registered. Diachronic dictionaries reflect the development of the vocabulary by

recording the history of form and meaning for every word registered. They may be

contrasted to synchronic or descriptive dictionaries of current English concerned with

present-day meaning and usage of words. The boundary between the two is, however,

not very rigid: that is to say, few dictionaries are consistently synchronic, chiefly,

perhaps, because their methodology is not developed as yet, so that in many cases the

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two principles are blended. Some synchronic dictionaries are at the same time

historical when they represent the state of vocabulary at some past stage of its

development. The dictionary under analysis is more concerned with synchronic

description, as it presents the present-day meaning and usage of words, without any

reference etymology of the items. For example, the entry Petrol appears like this: (

/’petrəl/ UNCOUNTABLE NOUN- a liquid used as a fuel for motor vehicles-

gasolina). As seen here, there is no explanation of the history of the term, apart from

the semantic details.

7. Lexical units and Illustrations

According to the arrangement of the selected lexical units, the entries of the

dictionary being analysed are arranged in alphabetical order, except that derivatives

and compounds are given under the same head-word. As for illustration, the

dictionary under analysis occasionally brings some illustration to facilitate the

reader’s understanding.

8. Summary

Learner’s dictionaries are dictionaries specifically compiled to meet the

demands of the learners of English. Any professional practitioner needs to understand

how dictionaries are organized, mainly to facilitate the process of teaching/learning.

In this paper we looked at how the “ Collins COBUILD English Learner’s Dictionary

(with Portuguese)”is organized. Paying attention to authority, scope, information

contained, language explanation, vocabulary presentation and lexical units and

illustrations.

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 9. References

Béjoint, H. (2000). Modern Lexicography An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

Collins COBUILD English Learner’s Dictionary 2011 (with Portuguese)

Zgusta, L. (1971). Manual of Lexicography. The Hague/Paris: Mouton.

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