| Abstract: |
User studies have shown repeatedly that the type of information that dictionary users
want from dictionaries the most is meaning. This is not surprising: in fact the dictionary has always been perceived as a repository of meanings of words. While this popular view has not changed much, the advent of electronic dictionaries can change the lexicographers' approach to the indication of meaning. The traditional way in paper dictionaries has been to explain words with words, using either a definition (typically in the language of the headword) or an equivalent (typically in another language). Only occasionally have pictorial illustrations been
used. In contrast, electronic dictionaries open up new possibilities in this regard. Pictorial illustrations, including colour ones (on colour displays) can be included more easily than before; but electronic dictionaries can also offer media objects that paper cannot carry, such as animation or videos. Will the dictionary users, however, always appreciate and benefit from these new ways of indicating meaning? I will examine the existing evidence, and try to offer informed guesses where evidence is not yet available. |