DICTIONARIES are an effective aid in the language learning progress. Traditionally, language learners have had the option of bilingual dictionaries, enabling them to find the mother tongue translation of new words and to find the foreign language equivalent of terms in their native language. Some methodologists argue against the use of bilingual dictionaries, maintaining that they do more harm than good, mainly by focusing the learner on his or her mother tongue, but also by leading the user to potentially incorrect equivalents.
Tim Bowen, a teacher and teacher trainer at Embassy CES Language and Training Centre in Hastings, UK, shows teachers how monolingual and bilingual dictionaries can be used in class properly.
Most monolingual dictionaries are an excellent learning tool, giving clear definitions and contextualized examples of how sections of language are used. Some dictionaries, the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, for example, also highlight the frequency and usefulness of particular items of vocabulary as well as words which commonly collocate with these items.
From the learner's point of view, this may present some difficulties. Using a monolingual dictionary requires more effort and commitment than using a bilingual one but, once the practice is established, it offers substantial rewards. Every time the learner looks up a word, he or she is getting further reading practice in English, seeing words in context, and seeing authentic examples of how words are actually used.
From the teacher's point of view, the most important aspect is to encourage the use of monolingual dictionaries, perhaps by taking a set into the classroom and getting learners to use them as a matter of course. Finally, students should buy a good monolingual dictionary and use it in class and at home.
This is not to say that bilingual dictionaries should not be used. Better examples of these also contain contextualized examples of the use of vocabulary, clear definitions and examples of differences in meaning, as well as phonetic transcriptions as a guide to pronunciation. They also offer comparisons of how different concepts are expressed in the mother tongue and the target language. The effective language learner will probably make full use of both types of dictionary.
