Electronic Dictionaries and Paper Dictionaries

2004/01/19/Monday/2prd.

Academic Writing: Prof. Alan M. Hauc

KOBAYASHI Yoshitomo

（Master of English Teaching Course 1）

Abstract

Recent development of technology makes dictionaries change from conventional paper style into the modern electronic one. Under such a circumstance, it is needles to say that we have to use the appropriate dictionary, thinking the virtue and vice of each one. For instance, dictionaries based on CR-ROM are fully dependent on computers, so they are not useful, say, on a train or a bus. Paper dictionaries, on the other hand, are too heavy to carry with everyday. Recently, a new type of dictionary, namely a pocket size electronic dictionary (PSED below), which is in-between these two dictionaries, has been produced by many electronic industrial companies like CASIO or SEIKO, getting more and more popular among high school students and these preparing for an examination (NIKKEI 2003). In this paper, dictionaries are categorized into three classes by modifying the classification of Lehr (1996:315) into Japanese situation: i) paper dictionary, ii) PSED, iii) Computer-based dictionary. In addition, a new conceptionis suggested that shows how independent a dictionary is of the factors other than the dictionary itself and is named “independentness” of the dictionary. As a result, it is not a new type of dictionary but the development of the existing PSED that is suggested to be necessary for future. That is to say, the modern electronic dictionaries, per se, seem to have enough function to meet the needs of consumers, but they needs to be advanced with many high technique functions like on-line resources or PHS.

Background

Lehr (1996:315) classifies dictionaries into two types from the viewpoint of on-line or off-line usage, and on-line dictionaries are further subcategorized into two: internet andintranet dictionary. On the other hand, off-line dictionaries are further sub-classified into multimedia dictionaries and PSED. Moreover, Lehr considers the classification from the viewpoint of who accesses what in where, Schryver presenting it as a visual model (2003:150). On the bases of Lehr’s classification, Schryver (2003:152-161) introduces the characteristics of each dictionary, quoting various scholar of lexicography, and examines them from various points of view, suggesting what is required for the future dictionaries. For example, the dictionaries have “the handheld ease” (2003:152), “the local disk ease” (156), “the online ease”(159), “the gains for dictionary compilers, researchers and publishers”(161).

Nevertheless, he never fails to appreciate traditional paper dictionaries, for their outstanding merits. Take for example the familiarity and reassurance (Abate 1985; Bailey 1986; Landau 2001), easiness to read and bestness for the eyes (Corris et al. 2000; Landau 2001), no requirement for computers being switched on (Perry 1997; Harley 2000; Nesi 2000a) and so on. He regards these features as the unbeatable advantages of paper dictionaries (Schryver 2003:152).

On the other hand, he introduces some lexicographers’ opinions concerning the good points of computer dictionaries. Availability of audible pronunciation (thus no need to learn IPA) and sound files (Sobkowiak 1999), copy-and-paste facility (Nesi 1999), and dictionary to be bought takes very little space and has an extremely low weight (Poirier 1989; Milic 1990; Zgasta 1991) for example. However, some of the features that Schryversummarizes are not true these days. For instance, the suggestion that computer dictionaries except for pocket size ones have some links to other soft wares（Fox et al. 1980; Macklovitch 1996; Sobkowiak 1999）does not correctly show the recent development of PSED, which have a link to computer learning game such as hangman or something (though they are not yet equipped such a high-tech learning assistance function that the scholars have expected so far). Other archive suggestion is that only paper dictionaries can be underlined and be written down some comment (Considine 1998; Corris et al. 2000), and this also is objected by the production of CANON’s ‘wordtank C30,’ on which users can write some additional information with a special pencil(NIKKEI 2003).

As it is shown above, Schryver (2003:152-161) mentions the feature of paper dictionaries, PSED and computer dictionaries with 43 items. In seeing these features, it strikes me that the more contents and functions a dictionary has, the more complicated the process of searching the necessary information; the more computerized the dictionary becomes, the more skillful the user must become to the computers. Particularly, as with the media contents, the quality of a computer matters: the random access memory (RAM) or the platform (like Macintosh or Windows) and the like. In this situation, it is not the quality of the dictionary’s media contents but whether or not it can be used in the computer that matters. It is fundamentally not meaningful if the dictionary cannot be usable, however good the dictionary is. Then, the main points in this paper should be to seek for the kind of dictionary which can be used in these electronic era and to seek for what is needed in order to achieve that goal.

Discussion

Merits and demerits of many types of dictionary have been mentioned from various points of view. However, it seems to me that the most important condition as to the dictionary is whether we can use it whenever we needs it. Schryver (2003:149) represents the conception like this as “stand-alone,” which shows the oppositeconception against a network dictionary. Thus, it can be thought that he has made the concept from whether or not the user has enormous data in his media (see Fig. 1). The conception is widened in this paper and is re-named “independentness” of the dictionary. That is to say, that feature represents that if a dictionary can be consulted at any time the user wants like traditional paper dictionaries, then it can be called independent; otherwise, it is not independent (see Fig.2): the media completely owe its function to the other factors like computer hardware like those provided in CD-ROM or floppy disk.

Looking at the dictionaries on the basis of this “independentness,” we can easily find out that the traditional paper dictionaries are completely independent, while the modern developing dictionaries, with the help of computer hardware, are not. The PSED,which are getting more and more popular, which are maneuverable, and which enable us to search the necessary information more and more quickly, can be used only with switched on. This means that the PSED is somewhat independent (since PSED is still dependent on the electricity or cells, there is no saying it is completely independent).

Whether a dictionary is independent or not is determined by the degree of how independent it is of the other factors except the dictionary itself. For easier understanding, two charts are provided below to show the process of a typical paper dictionary (Fig. 3) and a typical Internet dictionary (Fig.4) respectively.

The charts showing only typical models of paper and the Internet dictionary, it has to be admitted that so many dictionaries so many processes. These examples shows that the more computerized and the more network-based the dictionary is, the more processes there are to the necessary information: thus the more time and works it takes the users.As Schryve says, it is true that network dictionaries have a great capacity to contain sounds, pictures and movies, which makes them highly attractive, but it must not be forgotten that a network has unique problems. That is to say, all the processes presented above are required to be successful in order to search the target words, which is true of other types of computer-based dictionaries. For example, most computer mediated dictionaries cannot be useful when the computer is broken down or terribleblackout happens and causing loss of electricity, or network systems are not working, or computer virus prevents the computer from connectingthe Internet and so on. In this sense, it seems to me that the degree of the independentness of the dictionaries is of the greatest importance. However attractive the dictionary contents are, they are likeuseless possessions if we cannot use theirfull functions or even cannot start searching.

Unlike such fly-in-the-ointment dictionaries, the development of modern PSED is of great interest to me. Though PSED, like other electronic devices such as electric wave or laundry machine, can play only thelimited role, it can work faster all the more and can be the specialist of that field. What is better, PSED is mobile and keeps us from carrying the traditional,heavy, thousands-of-pagepaper dictionaries in the bag. What is even better, it can search much faster than the conventional paper dictionaries. Examples and usages can be referred to easily by just clicking the links on the display. This characteristic makes the PSED economic and ecologic unlike the traditional paper-wasted dictionaries (Dodd 1988; Ford 1996; Macklovitch 1996). In addition to the nature-friendliness, this “link” can be utilized in playing media contents such as pronunciations, pictures and movies, all of which have already been available in the computer mediated dictionaries like CD-ROMs or intranet/internet dictionaries. Since this information is too heavy for removable disk like CD-ROMs or floppy disk to contain, it is said to be convenient to pick up from a network server (Lemmens & Wekker 1990; Atkins 1996; Hanks 2001).

These things clearly suggest that for the future the very dictionary we need includes the following features: pocket sized mobile electronic dictionary with PHS in it and network connection available to withdraw the enormous amount of data like sounds, pictures and movies. It should not be too difficult to produce such a dictionary, however, if the present mobile phone terminal and ADSL wireless LAN technology are applied. Such a dictionary can be represented as the model above (see Fig. 5). It is quite easy to carry along and can search with computer-like variability. The most fascinating characteristic of this dictionary is that it can output the essential information from its hard disk first, and if the further information is necessary, it can allow you to connect to the Internet and provide more information from a network server.

Conclusion

The development of science technology enables the lexicographic information to be shown even faster and easier on the computer display than on the printed paper. Despite of this convenience, it has to be reminded that every dictionary has its own enemy: the “dependentness”. The conception of “Independentness” has not been thought of so far, because it has been taken for granted that a dictionary is a printed paper book style. This way of thinking, however, is now archive and we have to step forward to think how we can overcome this weak point that the computer dictionaries potentially have. Even in the case of PSED it has to be said that it relies its power on the electricity. Nevertheless,PSED, with as little dependentness as possible, can fully cover its function, which is the very advantage of it and which cannot be thought of on the CD-ROM dictionary or floppy disc-based dictionary. For future, PSED will have to be further improved on the basis of these merits and relatively high independentness. The development of PSEDis to be far more expected, which has a capacity to contain various functions like many present dictionaries have, and which makes the reference works more smooth and more attractive.

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KOBYASHI Yoshitomo