A review of Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (6th edition)

Lexicography ASIALEX (2016) 2:179–186 DOI 10.1007/s40607-015-0023-6 REVIEW ARTICLE A review of Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (6th edition) Amy Chi1 Published online: 18 March 2016 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 Abstract Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (6th edition) for advanced learners (LDOCE6), published by Pearson Education 2014, is the latest edition of this reputable dictionary for foreign learners of English. To increase its competitiveness, LDOCE6 includes new features like the Longman Communication 9000 to provide users with assistance on vocabulary acquisition, and the Grammar Guide to give information on major grammar topics and grammar notes that illustrate common grammar mistakes made by learners. This review examines whether the dictionary satisfies the needs and expectations of the users (in this case, advanced level EFL students); and if it rightly pitches at the level of their English proficiency and reference skills for ease of use and acquiring linguistic knowledge. Keywords Pedagogical lexicography
Dictionary criticism
Dictionary use 1 Introduction Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (6th edition) for advanced learners (LDOCE6), published by Pearson Education 2014, is the latest edition of this reputable dictionary for foreign learners of English. Its appearance is lauded by supporters of print dictionaries who have been witnessing the dwindling options for print with the growing domination of electronic media in all aspects of life. Although the various editions of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English are praised by users for innovation and quality of work over the years, & Amy Chi 1 Center for Language Education, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong 123 180 Lexicography ASIALEX (2016) 2:179–186 LDOCE6 print now faces a generation of potential users that is bombarded with many choices, many of whom are very electronic savvy and are accustomed to receiving free services and information from cyberspace. To increase its competitiveness, LDOCE6 includes new features like the Longman Communication 9000 to provide users with assistance on vocabulary acquisition, and the Grammar Guide to give information on major grammar topics and grammar notes that illustrate common grammar mistakes made by learners. LDOCE6 also offers users free access to its website with more information on words, vocabulary practice exercises, videos and tests. The question, however, remains: Are these new features appealing to the Dictionary’s target users? A print dictionary like LDOCE6 has many inherent disadvantages: for example, its weight and size. And there is the practical concern of cost1 to most. Indeed, research on dictionary use continuously reveals the rudimentary search skills and dictionary use knowledge of many users, including students and teachers of English (Chi 2013; Bae 2015). Additionally, with many competing EFL dictionaries offering features with striking resemblance (Akasu 2013), it would be interesting to examine whether LDOCE6 will appeal to its potential buyers. Surely, the answer will be obtained from its sales performance and/ or user research in due course but the question can also be explored now based on existing dictionary information and some reasonable suppositions. The dictionary will be examined on whether it satisfies the needs and expectations of the users (in this case, advanced level EFL students); and if it rightly pitches at the level of their English proficiency and reference skills for ease of use and acquiring linguistic knowledge. To make a purchasing decision, common strategies for an average user include comparing what the new edition has to offer with its previous editions, and/or with other rival dictionaries. In the former case, the simplest or direct way to compare two editions of the same dictionary would be to read what the dictionary says about itself in the front matter articles like the dictionary’s introduction, often prepared by the dictionary’s main editors, and where they normally state the edge or selling point of the latest edition. Another part of the dictionary giving similar information would be the description shown on the back (dust cover) of the dictionary. 2 Description of the new edition’s features on the back cover With limited knowledge of and training in dictionary use, most students, and/or parents, would make a decision based on the obvious facts and concepts they could understand. A possible criterion in the case of a student is: Student: I focus on the numbers shown: words and examples. Is it not right to expect a new edition to have more words, especially new words, and examples 1 The list price of the new Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (Paper and Online Access), 6th Edition at Amazon.com is US$60 to date. 123 Lexicography ASIALEX (2016) 2:179–186 181 than the previous? Also, I look if there are any new functions that the dictionary offers to solve my study problems. To this end, the student would be disappointed since most of the numbers on LDOCE6 remain the same as shown in the 5th edition (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 2009). The following are numbers which appear both in the 5th and 6th editions: The print On-line 230,000 words, phrases, and meanings 300,000 words, phrases and meanings 165,000 corpus-based examples 88,000 pronounced examples and one million additional corpus examples Integrated Thesaurus with over 18,000 synonyms, antonyms, and related words 147,000 collocations ? 48,000 synonyms, antonyms, and related words 65,000 collocations The only change in number found in LDOCE6 is in Longman Communication 9000 (LC9000) and it is stated that the new edition subsumes the ‘‘3000 most frequent words in spoken and written English’’ as shown in LDOCE5. LC9000 also includes ‘‘updated core vocabulary’’ and this would, it is assumed, satisfy the student’s criterion on new words. At this point, some may quickly discard such superficial and rudimentary criteria in judging the new LDOCE6 but many would agree that there are plenty of such potential users whose dictionary knowledge is at such a basic level. Indeed, the dictionary has unnecessarily invited such comparison by providing the same information (the numbers) on both the editions. If the dictionary removes the repetition of information, the space vacated could be used to provide more explanation on the LC9000, which is the major feature of this new edition as illustrated in the dictionary’s ‘‘Introduction’’. Currently, information on LC9000 provided in the blurb is unclear, if not overtaxing, and contains many concepts. It states, ‘‘Longman Communication 9000: updated core vocabulary, including the 3000 most frequent words in spoken and written English, show which words to learn first.’’ It may be clear to students that an English dictionary is a book about English words, but concepts such (...truncated)