A Survey of Users and Uses of Dictionaries Among Learners of Japanese Language in Iran A Survey of Users and Uses of Dictionaries among Learners of Japanese Language in Iran (original) (raw)

General Monolingual Persian Dictionaries and Their Users: A Case Study

2012

User needs and user satisfaction have unfortunately been neglected in the compilation of Persian dictionaries. This article aims to investigate five general monolingual Persian dictionaries in terms of their meeting user needs and the extent of user satisfaction with them. The investigated dictionaries are Dehkhoda, Mo’een, Amid, Farhange Farsie Emrooz, and Sokhan. To assess user needs, different groups of users, based on Assi (1995), filled up questionnaires, and some were interviewed; some statistical procedures, such as the chi-square significance test, were used. The objectives of this study were to identify the users' reference needs and the relationship between these needs and social variables. Moreover, the extent of the users' satisfaction with the mentioned dictionaries, the relation of this satisfaction to the social variables, and the necessity of certain qualifications in users were assessed. It was found that the users' educational background was the only de...

Dictionaries and Language Learners

Dictionaries and Language Learners, 2001

The purpose of this book is to formulate suggestions to improve dictionaries for foreign languages learners by means of qualitative research that analyses existing dictionaries, on one hand, and, on the other, the learner. I hope the outcome of my research will lead to an improvement of foreign language dictionaries. While electronic methods of storage and data retrieval are constantly on my mind, as I am convinced that the future of the dictionary lies in the digital world, the suggestions I will formulate have some possible application to printed dictionaries as well. My primary data are dictionaries, of which a full list can be found in the bibliography at the end of this book. On a few occasions, I tested subjects at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina and at Cobuild, where I spent a year of research, but the process only increased my lack of confidence in tests. I considered three main categories of dictionaries: bilingual, learner’s, and native speaker’s. The first two categories are the ones most directly concerned with foreign language learners, whereas I include native speaker’s dictionaries mainly because of their relationship to learner’s dictionaries. I chose these dictionaries based on the languages of which I have at least a minimal command. Furthermore, I decided to study Japanese so that I could personally experience what it is like to use a dictionary as an absolute beginner. Nevertheless, most attention was dedicated to reference works in English since English is allegedly the most studied language in the world. Accordingly, more people learn it and more people work on improving English dictionaries. Additionally, some types of dictionaries only exist in English.

Foreign Language Learners' Use and Perception of Online Dictionaries: A Survey Study

Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2013

The importance of dictionaries in language learning is indisputable. The emergence of online dictionaries has noticeably influenced the way students learn a foreign language (FL). This study examines FL learners' use and perception of bilingual online dictionaries through an analysis of over 250 responses to a web-based survey from learners enrolled in postsecondary language courses in the United States. The most popular online dictionaries among eight languages are presented along with selfreported data regarding look-up behaviors while reading, writing, listening, and speaking the target language. The results suggest that online dictionaries are most often consulted when learners are creating and/or deciphering digitally mediated written texts. Although most FL learners consider online dictionaries to be an essential part of their language learning, they report that not all are reliable. They also report the disparity of quality in online dictionaries across languages. As a result, learners often use multiple online dictionaries and other digital resources for multiple purposes. Based on the findings, pedagogical suggestions are provided to help educators guide FL learners' use of online dictionaries and other digital resources such as online translators.

The role of electronic pocket dictionaries as an English learning tool among Chinese students

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 2009

The electronic pocket dictionary is a typical South East Asian phenomenon and it is especially popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Electronic pocket dictionaries are sold in most consumer electronic shops and are frequently seen in classrooms. This study set out to uncover factors that motivate students' use of electronic pocket dictionaries and to assess their implications for language teachers and technology developers.

Dictionary Use and Perceptions Regarding Dictionaries

This survey examines factors relating to student dictionary ownership , as well as perceptions concerning dictionary use, and the quality of current dictionaries in light of likeable, dislikable, and desirable features as determined by the survey population. Data collection through the survey-method allowed for a distribution of 270 questionnaires to eight freshman classes, resulting in a return of 244 useable surveys for the study. The focus of this study's questionnaire is threefold , and gathers data concerning the background of the student's dictionary(s), student's use of their dictionary(s), and dictionary characteristics and features of relevance to the Korean EFL student. Analysis of the data allows us to see what kind of dictionary students possess, where and how they most often put their dictionary to use, and what they would like to see in an ideal dictionary. Further, the results suggest that students are active dictionary users who are aware of the shortcomings and virtues of their current dictionaries and, having consciously evaluated these aspects, will take them into consideration when acquiring a future dictionary. A discussion of survey findings culminates with recommendations on dictionary selection for University English Program (UEP) students within Korea.

Jelveh, R., Akbarpoor, M. and Gharyan, A. (2013). Supremacy of Online Dictionaries: A Case of Persian to English Translation. US-China Foreign Language, USA and Sino-US Language Teaching, USA. Vol.11. No.7 (pp. 550-557)

This study attempts to examine the effects of different types of dictionaries on the translation performance of Iranian translators. To this end, this study investigates the issue both quantitatively and qualitatively in two separate phases. In the first phase of the study a questionnaire was given to 230 Iranian translators in 7 Iranian state universities to investigate the type of dictionaries they use while translating Persian articles to English. In the second phase of the study, four groups of translators with different types of dictionaries, hardcover, computer software, mobile, and online dictionaries were selected and given a task of translating three Persian article abstracts, and their translations were assessed in terms of the accuracy of the words and expressions of the source text and the speed of performance. Results indicated that translators using online dictionaries rendered the texts more accurately and much faster than the other three groups. Translators using computer software occupied the second rank, hardcover dictionary users were the third, and mobile dictionary users were the last group to finish the translation task. This study shows how online dictionaries can provide help that satisfies the need of translators when translating Persian articles into English.

Compilation of Japanese learners’ dictionaries

Journal of Japanese Linguistics, 2017

The number of Japanese language learners outside Japan, especially of advanced level learners, is increasing yearly. From the intermediate level onwards, they could profit from bilingual Japanese learners’ dictionaries in their native language, but in most linguistic areas of the world only very simple dictionaries for beginners and for tourists are available. Our project therefore aims at supporting the compilation of Japanese language learners’ dictionaries for intermediate and advanced learners by building a database of contents needed when editing a Japanese language learners’ dictionary, and offering it online. This 4 year project is going to be running from 2011 to 2014. Two surveys were conducted: a survey of the vocabulary used in textbooks of Japanese as a foreign language and a quantitative survey on the targeted area of the Japanese language in a large-scale corpus, in order to select the list of words to be included in the database, and a general list of basic vocabulary...

The Electronic Dictionary in the Language Classroom: The Views of Language Learners and Teachers

The pocket electronic dictionary (PED) has the potential to be a powerful language learning tool. At the same time, it may be seen as an obstacle to communication, a waste of classroom time, and a source of conflict between foreign-language learners and the teachers. This presentation will report an in-depth survey of three sets of people influenced by the widespread presence and use of the PED in the classroom: foreign-language students, teachers who share the native language of the students, and teachers who are native speakers of the target language. The survey, which takes into account the beliefs, attitudes, and expectations of Japanese learners of English and of their teachers regarding the PED, revealed important differences in their opinions about how and when the dictionary should be used, in the effect of dictionary use on foreign language vocabulary development, and regarding users' needs for training or guidance in the use of electronic dictionaries. The presentation...