4. Online Dictionary... by Sengupta

Introduction

Technology-Enhanced learning has taken huge leaps in the present context. Online educational recourses are drawing popularity day by day. Among the online educational resources, dictionaries, glossaries, and translators come under the umbrella term called 'online dictionaries', although each of these three tools has different uses. The pitfalls of traditional paper dictionaries are generally overcome by online dictionaries.

Why Online Dictionary?

• • Online dictionary is like fast food which is easy to access. One can look up words and phrases quickly.

  • It provides complete search including definitions, pronunciation, spelling, etymology, translation etc.

  • Online dictionaries help when someone is not sure about the spelling of a word which is not possible in a traditional paper dictionary. Online dictionary allows to write in just the letters one knows and it will return all the words with those letters in the positions earlier specified. Then one may select the word which is required. For example, if there is confusion in the number of ‘m’ in the word ‘committee’, one can go to the dictionary search box and then type ‘committee’ and immediately he/she will bid goodbye to his/her confusion.

  • The online dictionary can be browsed alphabetically or by the terms related to the word to find the exact meanings and synonyms of the word.

  • Besides providing the word meaning, spelling, definition, usage, synonym and antonym, syllable division of word, etymology, plural form, word’s part of speech, sample sentences of a word, online dictionaries can make the language alive by supplementing audio pronunciation and voice record functions.

  • Some online dictionaries are regularly updated, keeping abreast of language change. Many have additional content, such as blogs and features of new words.

  • Translation of a word is possible in an online dictionary. That is, an English word can be translated into Spanish/German and vice versa.

  • Many online dictionaries also provide usage notes which are very useful.

  • Most of the online dictionaries provide free excess to all users.

Types

Paper dictionaries vary in content and same is the case with the online dictionaries. Online dictionaries cater to the needs of everyone. From general dictionary to specialized one, from monolingual or bilingual dictionary to multilingual one- its scope is really vast encompassing. There are also online dictionaries in different languages like French, Italian, Spanish German etc. Specialized online dictionaries cover a wide spectrum of subjects like computer, science, medical, pharmaceutical, etymology, slang, biography, idioms, phonetics and many more. The visual online dictionary is an interactive dictionary with pictures offering an innovative approach for language learning. It is an all-in-one reference book in which we can quickly locate the picture of a word. It provides an easy and accessible way of learning words.

How to Use an Online Dictionary?

Online dictionaries are user friendly as they provide user’s instructions in an explicit style. First learner will have to choose a suitable free online dictionary. For this he/she needs to open internet browser and use a search engine to find an online dictionary, such as Merriam-Webster Online or Dictionary Reference.com. One can either open the site of ‘Google’ and type ‘Free Online Dictionaries’ in the ‘Google search’ and hit the search button and within a moment the computer screen will display a wide variety

of free online dictionaries or he/she can directly visit any relevant website like <http://www.dictionarylink.com> and can get a wide variety of English dictionaries, other language dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses, word translators, children/student’s dictionary link, crossword solvers and many more. After choosing and opening a specific online dictionary, one needs to type the word in the ‘search box’ and click the search button. Then he/she can browse the search results as per the requirement. Language learner can follow the following steps to make the optimal uses of an online dictionary:

• • Open a relevant website for example: http://www.macmillandictionary. com/dictionary/british/world

  • Then write a word for example ‘world’ in the search box and hit the search box.

  • The screen will display related dictionary definitions also like ‘the third world (Noun)’, ‘world-class (Adjective)’ etc.

  • He/she can either stay on the main page or may select a specific related definition.

  • At the front side of the main page, the learner will get two icons - one is an audio icon for the pronunciation of the word ‘world’ and the other one is for word form. He/she can hit the audio icon for the pronunciation. British edition will give the British English pronunciation, and in the American edition, he/she will hear the American English pronunciation. He/she can also hit the word form icon for the singular and plural forms of the word called ‘world’.

  • Besides getting the details of the word ‘world’, the learner can also directly access the details of other related words/phrases which are used in the description of the word ‘world’ and these words/phrases are in italics and are highlighted in blue.

  • There is also the provision to get the thesaurus entries of the same word and simply a click on the relevant box can give all the details including the phrases made out of this word called ‘world’.

  • Learner can click ‘Open Dictionary’ to get the most recent entries. Here, he/she can also add any new word/phrase and increase the total number of entries.

  • Learner can click ‘Usage Notes’ which provides guidance on how best to use the language in context.

  • He/she can press ‘Red Words and Stars’ which distinguishes between high-frequency core vocabularies on the one hand, and the less common words which are mostly needed for reference on the other hand. Red words are described in detail, with information provided not only about meaning, but also about their grammatical behaviours, word combinations (collocation), register (informal, literary etc) and pragmatics. The core words appear with a star rating which suggests the frequency of use.

  • He/she can open ‘Real Example’ to know how the language is really used in the 21st century.

  • Learner can click ‘Clear Definition’ to get the clear and comprehensive definitions.

  • Moreover, learners can get additional things like ‘Word of the Day’, ‘Buzzword’, and ‘Free Dictionary Toolbar’ etc.

Conclusion

Online dictionaries may not replace the traditional paper dictionaries but they can surely supplement the paper dictionaries. Online dictionaries are multifunctional in nature as they provide more educational recourses than simply the word meaning. Moreover, online dictionaries contain visual effect which is more attractive than the traditional black and white pages and as a result of which they can also generate interest among the language learners. So, staying online and browsing online dictionaries can surely be an unconventional and fashionable trend of language learning.