Addressing Learner Needs through Dictionaries Bernadette Longley

Macmillan Education

What does it mean to know a word?spellingpart of speechpronunciationfrequencycontext it is used inother words frequently used with itregional differencesmeaning

Where do dictionaries come from?

() a collection of written and spoken texts stored on computer and used for language research Corpus

Corpora size and growth

How do corpora influence dictionaries? selecting headwords- which words to include? selecting meanings and their order shown identifying and selecting idioms, phrasal verbs, etc establishing a defining vocabulary() describing syntax() and collocation() describing style, register() & labels (e.g. medical) providing example sentences that illustrate usage

Word Frequency: a quick quizQ1. How many words make up the English language? a. over 1 000 000 b. around 500 000 c. around 200 000

Q2. How many words make up 90% of the English language? a. 15 500 words b. 7500 words c. 100 000 words

Q3. How many words make up 80% of the English language? 2500 words b. 5500 words c. 4000 words

Word frequency and productive/receptive vocabulary

1 000 000 words (remainder)

7500 words(90%)2500 words(80%)

How are productive/receptive vocabulary treated (in MED)? 1. the 7500 most frequent words are shown in red.

Dealing with complex dictionary entriesHow many different meanings for: - bug? - carry?

Complex entries: carry Which meaning?

a. His voice doesnt carry very well.b. All newspapers carried the story.c. Dell computers carry a 3-year guarantee.d. The driver must carry the blame for the injury.e. Cigarette packets must carry a health warning.

Learning through collocation Collocation () is the way in which two or more words occur together far more often than they would do by chanceYou shall know a word by the company it keeps(J.R.Firth)

Learning through collocationWhich of these adverbs are often used with love?

Which words are often used with contact?

passionately effectively strongly dearly greatly truly highly

Identifying frequent collocations of challenge1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.

Collocation Boxes: challenge (in MED)

Metaphor in everyday language Metaphor is usually associated with poetry/literature, but in fact is present in all types of text

1. The beautiful bird flew in the sky. (literal)2. She flew past me on her bicycle. (metaphorical) ( , ) Using a meaning that has developed from a literal meaning to describe something with similar featuresMetaphor

They didnt get a fair slice of the cake. This ate into our savings. The fees have swallowed up my grant.

B. She is one of the brightest people I know. He outshines everyone else. He didnt say much and seemed a bit dim. c. Dont beat yourself up over this. They tore my work to pieces. Dont jump down my throat! Metaphor examples

How is anger used metaphorically?

Anger: Metaphor Box in MED

Academic Writing What areas of academic writing do students have trouble with?

Identifying and interpreting topic key words Identifying and evaluating available resources Avoiding plagiarism Structuring essays Writing coherently and cohesivelyKnowing & using general academic vocabulary Revising, editing and proofreading workHow does the MED help?

1. Helpful Academic Writing boxes2. In-depth 5-page essay with examples, exercises & references

Specific meanings of similar words Pink Box: beautiful adjective

Specific meaning: beautiful

What dictionary skills do your learners need to develop?Finding words quicklyUnderstanding abbreviations, IPA, stress symbols, etcFinding out what words go together / collocationsOther ???Choosing the right meaningKnowing how important the word isUsing it as a resource for academic writing

Activity 1: Opening up Fun activity to train students to find words faster Trains students to open the dictionary up near the word they are looking for

Which word is the dictionary open to?

b. saddletangibleresistance offense a. memory solution fragrance negotiatec. effort locomotive coastline fizzy

Activity 2: Menu guessing gameHelps students understand the multiple meanings of wordsEncourages students to find the definition that fits the particular context they needa small piece of papera slight mistaketo slide/falla piece of clothingto govern a countryto make a decisionto influence thoughtto draw a line sliprule

Activity 3: Listing collocates

Helps students identify words which frequently occur together.

List three words that you think typically occur with these words. Then check your dictionary.1. (nouns) general _______ _______ _______ 2. (adverbs) wait _______ _______ _______3 (adjectives) _______ _______ _______ kiss4 (verbs) _______ _______ _______ leg

Activity 4: Brainstorming substitutions

Activating students usage of more descriptive language.

a Write down all the words you can think of that mean bad.b Complete these sentences with a word meaning bad. Check your dictionary.1. Her uncle is a rather _______ man.2. He is a _______ guitarist.3. Smoking is ________ for you.4. That film we saw last night was pretty _______ .5. Ive got a _______ headache.

Activity 5. Understanding metaphorExposes students to the metaphorical meanings/patterns of everyday words and phrasesWhich feeling does each sentence refer to?

1. Being angry is like being. 2. Being happy is like being.3. Being sad is like being. 4. Being confused is like beingTheyre having a blazing rowI dont know if Im coming or going.She was in the depths of despair.I was over the moon that day. We had a heated discussion.My heart sank when I saw him.I feel like a fish out of water.Shes on top of the world.

Activity 6: Academic writing Sensitises students to the different categories of vocabulary

1. Group these words according to whether they are general, general academic, or subject-specific vocabulary. Use your dictionary for help. manager, current cost accounting, need, analyse,method, product life cycle, theory, achieve,microorganisms, fundamental, clever, university, corresponding, nucleic acids, alternatively

Activity 7: Knowing word frequencyAmericas fast food industry was founded by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion. They worked hard, took risks, and followed their own paths. In many respects, the industry embodies the best and worst of American capitalism its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gap between rich and poor.

Helps sensitize students to the importance of frequency This activity can be used with any reading passageWhich words are not red words?

Activity 7: Knowing word frequency51 words, of which 50 are red words in MEDAmericas fast food industry was founded by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion. They worked hard, took risks, and followed their own paths. In many respects, the industry embodies the best and worst of American capitalism its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gap between rich and poor.

Award-winning dictionary2002 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award 2004 British Council Innovation Award for English Language Teaching

Next generation of learners dictionariesDeveloped by two of renowned lexicographers in dictionary publishing- Michael Rundell & Gwyneth Fox

Over 100,000 English / Chinese references & 80 000 example sentences

Packed with outstanding features for language learnersunique red words- 7500 most common wordsoriginal ranking system to show word importance at a glanceOver 800 innovative Menu Boxes to aid navigationOver 450 helpful Collocation BoxesOver 45 unique Metaphor BoxesAcademic writing support with Academic Writing Boxes and 5-page essayOther Usage Boxes: specific meaning, US/UK differences, grammar points, common mistakes and more.

A little about the Bilingual MED

What are the MED awards?

2002 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award Presented by the Duke of Edinburgh, president of the English-Speaking Union Winning book is selected based on originality, innovation and substance by panel of widely respected judges in the English Language field

2004 British Council Innovation Award for English Language TeachingThe highest award in the English Language Teaching profession worldwideAward is offered to outstanding, innovative language learning resources

Thank you for listening

Please visit www.macmillandictionary.com for dictionary tips, lessons, reviews, e-magazines and more