Abstract:

In this research, we study dictionary skills of university students learning English as a foreign language. The paper analyses the results of the survey conducted among junior and senior students learning English for general and specific purposes. According to the survey, a vast majority of respondents underestimate the value of monolingual dictionaries with their highly informative entries and prefer bilingual dictionaries and dictionary resources which only provide ready-made translations of particular examples containing the lexical unit in question, which may often entail mistakes in understanding the meaning, connotations and the register of the word or phrase. In this paper, we offer several activities aimed at developing students’ dictionary skills, such as exploring the difference between the so-called “confusables” – words which are often confused due to their similarity in meaning, and creating lexical computer games based on the dictionary entries of the words. We also describe a project class aimed at the analysis of the “word of the day” section in the most popular monolingual online dictionaries, which also involves working with thesauruses. These activities are aimed not only at encouraging students to use monolingual dictionaries for a deeper understating of a word meaning with its tinges and connotations but also at developing the ability to decide which types of reference books and online resources are more appropriate and suitable for a particular situation inside and outside the academic environment.

Keywords:

Dictionary skills, monolingual/bilingual dictionary, dictionary entry, thesaurus, word of the day, confusables.