Abstract:

In specialised pedagogical lexicography, there are four basic categories which are central to any lexicographical theory aimed at students: users, users’ situation, users’ needs and the assistance/help of dictionaries (Tarp, 2008). However, although it seems logical to believe that dictionaries are devised and created accordingly, this is not the reality perceived by students when using an online lexicographical tool.

This paper extends and elaborates on Edo’s (2016) study entitled “e-lexicografía pedagógica especializada: Necesidades y usos en el campo del inglés científico-técnico” (Specialised pedagogical e-lexicography: Needs and usage in the field of scientific-technical English) in order to propose and develop a “perfect” specialised e-dictionary entry for engineering undergraduate students. By means of a series of extensive questionnaires administered to these students, the study concludes that no specialised e-dictionary currently available seems to gather all the quality, quantity, clarity and user-friendliness features expected in this kind of work. In the same way, students’ answers revealed that they are not aware of the potential of a dictionary and they seldom reflect on the way they use it or on the kind of information they may need. However, when asked to reflect on these aspects, students’ conclusions and suggestions were highly valuable in order to devise effective learner-oriented specialised dictionaries. Edo’s (2016) study provides a series of key conclusions to elaborate upon in order to enhance the creation of pedagogically-oriented e-lexicographical tools that attract learners because of their user-friendliness and clarity and that promote the use of such an unjustly undervalued tool as the dictionary. According to all the previous reflection and information, a series of considerations, directions and suggestions are provided in this study with the final objective of developing the “perfect” specialised pedagogical e-dictionary entry.

The considerations taken into account as a departure point for this paper are derived from Edo’s (2016) study on the needs and usage of specialised e-lexicographical tools. The directions signaled include developing accessible, updated, complete, accurate and user-friendly e-lexicographical tools that make the most of the digital media in terms of quantity, quality and kind of information to be included.

The specific suggestions provided are shown in the entry “angle”, and can be summarised as follows:
a) making the most of multimodal resources,
b) making the most of digital media,
c) adding clarity to both the dictionary’s electronic macro and microstructure,
d) converting the microstructure into a clearer and neater compendium of relevant information,
e) being more explicit on the kind of information included,
f) providing the translation of examples, including both real (corpus-based examples) and other more pedagogically-oriented ones,
g) training students in dictionary use.

References:
[1] Edo-Marzá, N. (2016). E-lexicografía pedagógica especializada: Necesidades y usos en el campo del inglés científico-técnico. Revista Signos, 49 (91), 217-244.
[2] Tarp, S. (2008). Lexicography in the Borderland between Knowledge and Non-knowledge. General Lexicographical Theory with particular Focus on Learner’s Lexicography. Tübingen:Niemeyer.

Keywords:

Specialised pedagogical lexicography, dictionary entry, e-lexicography, microstructure, macrostructure, engineering.