Bernadette Longley

Macmillan Education

Addressing Learner Addressing Learner Needs through Needs through DictionariesDictionaries

What does it mean to ‘know’ a word?What does it mean to ‘know’ a word?

spelling

part of speech

pronunciation

frequency

context it is used in

other words frequently used with it

regional differences

meaning

Where do dictionaries come from? Where do dictionaries come from?

• novels and other creative writing

• newspapers and magazines

• academic writing

• radio and TV broadcasts

• recorded conversations

• websites, blogs, email and chat-rooms, etc.

From:

(语料库 ) a collection of written and spoken texts stored

on computer and used for language research

Corpus

Corpora size and growthCorpora size and growth

100 000 000 000

1 000 000 000

1 000 000

Corpora size

(in words)

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

How do corpora influence dictionaries?How do corpora influence dictionaries? selecting headwords- which words to include?

selecting meanings and their order shown

identifying and selecting idioms, phrasal verbs, etc

establishing a ‘defining vocabulary’( 释义词汇 )

describing syntax( 句法 ) and collocation( 搭配 )

describing style, register( 语域 ) & ‘labels’ (e.g. medical)

providing example sentences that illustrate usage

Q1. How many words make up the English language?

a. over 1 000 000 b. around 500 000 c. around 200 000

Q2. How many words make up 90% of the English language?

a. 15 500 words b. 7500 words c. 100 000 words

Q3. How many words make up 80% of the English

language? a. 2500 words b. 5500 words c. 4000 words

Word Frequency: a quick quizWord Frequency: a quick quiz

1 000 000 words (remainder)

7500 words(90%)

2500 words(80%)

Productivevocabulary

Receptive vocabulary

Word frequency and Word frequency and productive/receptive vocabulary productive/receptive vocabulary

1. the 7500 most frequent words are shown in red.

How are productive/receptive vocabulary How are productive/receptive vocabulary treated (in MED)? treated (in MED)?

2. red words are subdivided into three bands:

= most frequent 2500 words: (have, go, easy)

= most frequent 2501-5000 words: (behave, risk)

= most frequent 5001-7500 words: (boil, credible)

Dealing with complex dictionary entriesDealing with complex dictionary entries

How many different meanings for:

- bug? - carry?

1 take someone somewhere

2 spread disease

3 always have a feeling

4 publish/broadcast something

5 have a guarantee

6 do someone else's work

7 lead to punishment

8 have message/warning

9 vote for and accept

10 support weight

11 involve risk/danger

12 make an aim possible

13 encourage support

14 accept responsibility

15 have goods for sale

16 of smells/sounds

17 develop to certain level

18 in adding numbers

19 be pregnant

20 win election

carry

1 infectious illness

2 computer/program fault

3 sudden enthusiasm

4 for secret listening

5 insect

bug

Complex entries: ‘carry’Complex entries: ‘carry’

Which meaning?

a. His voice doesn’t carry very well.

b. All newspapers carried the story.

c. Dell computers carry a 3-year guarantee.

d. The driver must carry the blame for the injury.

e. Cigarette packets must carry a

health warning.

Learning through collocationLearning through collocation

Collocation ( 搭配 ) is the way in which two or more words

occur together far more often than

they would do by chance

‘You shall know a word by the company it keeps’

(J.R.Firth)

Which of these adverbs are often used with ‘love’?

Which words are often used with ‘contact’?

passionately effectively strongly

dearly greatly truly highly

Learning through collocationLearning through collocation

. When the party was in offi incial circuit presents a hell of a challenge . The only advantage London e was n't aware that he had posed a challenge to Ollie, and a single ini s wedding. Now he faces th e biggest challenge - the devi

face his greatest and most daunting challenge - the “fight for the right”. ane Broncos, threw down a dramatic challenge to record

-

breaking Wigan las

terms, such as the need for a fresh challenge. Now , it is a players ' ma

&equo. This presents an immediate challenge

.

Teachers will need to thin

face the real challenge of getting rid of British nu

g South African will

face a similar challenge

in order to deal with the pro

There would be a need to meet the challenge

.

When we spoke I do n't thi

to compete last season in th

uipment. Mr Parkinson now faces the challenge

evidently not enough decency. The challenge which Gandhi posed to the Br

challenge

of his existence

crusade if we can’tcan't

whether they are ready to meet the

Identifying frequent collocationsIdentifying frequent collocations of ‘challenge’ of ‘challenge’

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.

Collocation Boxes: ‘challenge’ (in MED)Collocation Boxes: ‘challenge’ (in MED)

Metaphor in everyday language Metaphor in everyday language

Metaphor is usually associated with poetry/literature, but in fact is present in all types of text

1. The beautiful bird flew in the sky. (literal)

2. She flew past me on her bicycle. (metaphorical)

( 隐喻 , 比喻 ) Using a meaning that has developed from a

literal meaning to describe something with similar features

Metaphor

A. They didn’t get a fair slice of the cake. This ate into our savings. The fees have swallowed up my grant.

B. She is one of the brightest people I know. He outshines everyone else. He didn’t say much and seemed a bit dim. c. Don’t beat yourself up over this. They tore my work to pieces. Don’t jump down my throat!

MetaphorMetaphor examplesexamples

nd sallow skin, now flushed with anger , and finally at the intelligent,

s the door. Then he looked back, anger and fear and loathing rising in hi

We're ready," Yanto growled, his anger beginning to rise again. She grinn

cheeks hot with embarrassment and anger . "He has been a perfect gentleman

Manville fought against a rising anger . Hayman was right, despite the a

d at Mr Evans, his eyes hot with anger . He said, &bquo And Carrie has s

? &equo He suddenly exploded into anger , jaw thrust out pugnaciously, da

his novel. I lay still, hot with anger . Richard had never done anything

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

How is ‘anger’ used metaphorically? How is ‘anger’ used metaphorically?

Anger: Metaphor Box in MED Anger: Metaphor Box in MED

What areas of academic writing do students have trouble with?

Academic Writing Academic Writing

• Identifying and interpreting topic key words

• Identifying and evaluating available resources

• Avoiding plagiarism

• Structuring essays

• Writing coherently and cohesively

• Knowing & using general academic vocabulary

• Revising, editing and proofreading work

How does the MED help?

1. Helpful Academic Writing boxes

2. In-depth 5-page essay with examples, exercises & references

Pink Box: beautiful adjective

Specific meanings of similar words Specific meanings of similar words

Words you can use instead of ‘beautiful’

Beautiful is a very general word. Here are some words with more specific meanings that sound more natural and appropriate in particular situations.

Specific meaning: ‘beautiful’Specific meaning: ‘beautiful’

What dictionary skills do your What dictionary skills do your learners need to develop?learners need to develop?

Finding words quickly

Understanding abbreviations, IPA, stress symbols, etc

Finding out what words go together / collocations

Other ???

Choosing the right meaning

Knowing how important the word is Using it as a resource

for academic writing

• Fun activity to train students to find words faster• Trains students to open the dictionary up near the word

they are looking for

Which word is the dictionary open to?

b. saddle tangible resistance offense

Activity 1: ‘Opening up’Activity 1: ‘Opening up’

a. memory solution fragrance negotiate

c. effort locomotive coastline fizzy

Activity 2: Menu guessing gameActivity 2: Menu guessing game

• Helps students understand the multiple meanings of words• Encourages students to find the definition that fits the

particular context they need

a small piece of paper

a slight mistake

to slide/fall

a piece of clothing

to govern a country

to make a decision

to influence thought

to draw a line

slip rule

Activity 3: Activity 3: Listing collocates Listing collocates Helps students identify words which frequently occur together.

List three words that you think typically occur with these words. Then check your dictionary.

1. (nouns) general _______ _______ _______

2. (adverbs) wait _______ _______ _______

3 (adjectives) _______ _______ _______ kiss

4 (verbs) _______ _______ _______ leg

Activity 4: Brainstorming substitutionsActivity 4: Brainstorming substitutions

• Activating students’ usage of more descriptive language.

a Write down all the words you can think of that mean bad.

b Complete these sentences with a word meaning bad. Check your dictionary.

1. Her uncle is a rather _______ man.

2. He is a _______ guitarist.

3. Smoking is ________ for you.

4. That film we saw last night was pretty _______ .

5. I’ve got a _______ headache.

• Exposes students to the metaphorical meanings/patterns of everyday words and phrases

Which feeling does each sentence refer to?

1. Being angry is like being…. 2. Being happy is like being….

3. Being sad is like being…. 4. Being confused is like being…

1. They’re having a blazing row

2. I don’t know if I’m coming or going.

3. She was in the depths of despair.

4. I was over the moon that day.

5. We had a heated discussion.

6. My heart sank when I saw him.

7. I feel like a fish out of water.

8. She’s on top of the world.

Activity 5. Understanding metaphorActivity 5. Understanding metaphor

angry happy sad confused

Activity 6: Activity 6: Academic writing Academic writing

• Sensitises students to the different categories of vocabulary

1. Group these words according to whether they are general, general academic, or subject-specific vocabulary. Use your dictionary for help.

General vocabulary General academic Subject-specificmanagerachieve clever

university

correspondingalternatively

analysemethod

fundementaltheory

current cost accounting,nucleic acids

product life cyclemicroorganism

manager, current cost accounting, need, analyse,method, product life cycle, theory, achieve,microorganisms, fundamental, clever, university, corresponding, nucleic acids, alternatively

Activity 7: Knowing word frequencyActivity 7: Knowing word frequency

America’s fast food industry was founded by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion. They worked hard, took risks, and followed their own paths. In many respects, the industry embodies the best and worst of American capitalism– its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gap between rich and poor.

• Helps sensitize students to the importance of frequency• This activity can be used with any reading passage

Which words are not red words?

51 words, of which 50 are red words in MED

America’s fast food industry was founded by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion. They worked hard, took risks, and followed their own paths. In many respects, the industry embodies the best and worst of American capitalism– its constant stream of new products and innovations, its widening gap between rich and poor.

Activity 7: Knowing word frequencyActivity 7: Knowing word frequency

Award-winning dictionary– 2002 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award – 2004 British Council Innovation Award for English Language Teaching

Next generation of learner’s dictionaries– Developed by two of renowned lexicographers in dictionary publishing- Michael Rundell & Gwyneth Fox

Over 100,000 English / Chinese references & 80 000 example sentences

Packed with outstanding features for language learners– unique red words- 7500 most common words– original ranking system to show word importance at a glance– Over 800 innovative Menu Boxes to aid navigation– Over 450 helpful Collocation Boxes– Over 45 unique Metaphor Boxes– Academic writing support with Academic Writing Boxes and 5-page essay– Other Usage Boxes: specific meaning, US/UK differences, grammar points,

common mistakes and more.

A little about the Bilingual MEDA little about the Bilingual MED

What are the MED awards? What are the MED awards?

2002 Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award

• Presented by the Duke of Edinburgh, president of the English-Speaking Union

• Winning book is selected based on originality, innovation and substance by panel of widely respected judges in the English Language field

2004 British Council Innovation Award for English Language Teaching

• The highest award in the English Language Teaching profession worldwide

• Award is offered to outstanding, innovative language learning resources

Thank you for listening

Please visit www.macmillandictionary.com for dictionary tips, lessons, reviews, e-magazines and more