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They can enable ‘fuzzy’ and complex searches;
They can interact with users to develop vocabulary and dictionary skills
.
CD-ROM dictionaries use has become so common in many schools and
universities, and classes with access to computers can benefit from some CD features
such as exercises, pictures, usage information, etc. This makes the consultation
process “more visible and open to discussion” (Nesi, 1999, p. 64).
However, the major drawback with CDs use is that they can only be accessed
on a desk-top computer at home or on a laptop, which makes CD use a site-dependent
activity and thus not very suitable for receptive tasks such as while listening to a
lecture in the classroom
.
Nevertheless, such a dictionary could be convenient for
learners writing a text with a word-processor or reading a text on the computer screen
.
In addition, CDs are experiencing a number of issues such as copyright laws,
since most of which are shared and downloadable through the Internet illegally and
for free, except for very few highly-protected versions which require the users to
insert the genuine CD into the computer’s CD-ROM player each time they run the
dictionary. Ironically, with the advent of computer software, even the highly-
protected CDs could be burned and installed on a computer without any problem.
Until recently, dictionaries published in CD-ROM format have been the best
EDs for L2 learners
.
However, Android dictionary applications as well as online
dictionaries that can be accessed through smart phones connected to the Internet are
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becoming more dominant due to the advantages that they offer, such as portability,
the huge amount of memory, and the ability to be updated and linked to other
computer applications
.
3
.
5
.
Computerized Dictionary Use
The latest developments in computer technology have launched growing
interest in CDs, online dictionaries, and vocabulary glosses embedded in L2 learning
software and Internet pages
.
Roby (1999) pointed that the use of glosses in L2
learning dates back to the Middle Ages, when glosses were first used by L2 learners
of Latin
.
Then teachers adopted glossing later and produced glossaries, or word lists,
to help their learners on reading tasks
.
The development of glossaries paved the way
for compiling dictionaries
.
In fact, research on CD use is very limited compared to research on using
PEDs and PDs. Perhaps the only study that could be found about CD use is the one by
Winkler (2001), who surveyed 100 subjects about their dictionary use habits and
compared their use of two monolingual CD titles
.
Winkler found out that most of the
subjects appreciated the CD and thought that it was much better than a conventional
PD because of its innovative features like the provision of pronunciation, pictures, and
games
.
In addition, 75% of the subjects appreciated the point that “typing in the first
few letters in an Entry box on screen will take him/her to the respective part of the
dictionary” (p. 198).
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However, Winkler (2001) pointed that the “users needed to familiarize
themselves with the presentation of information on screen
.
.
.
.
[and] discover the
different features and facilities that the CD-ROM dictionary offers” (Winkler, 2001,
p
.
239)
.
Indeed, CDs have a complex hyper-textual macrostructure, and each type is
designed and organized differently, so even advanced dictionary users will find it
necessary to learn how to access information in a new CD (Nesi, 2003, p
.
379)
.
Some researchers investigated the different modes of presentation available to
L2 learners who use computerized dictionaries or glosses
.
Al-Seghayer (2001), for
instance used a hypermedia-learning program to investigate which of the modalities;
i
.
e
.
picture or video, is more efficient in vocabulary learning while reading
.
The
program displayed to the readers an English text accompanied with glosses and
annotations in the form of text, video, graphics and sound
.
The results showed that a
video was more effective for the learners in acquiring unknown words, as it combined
different modalities (vivid or dynamic image, sound, and text)
.
Similarly, Akbulut (2007) investigated the effects of different hypermedia
glosses on vocabulary learning and reading of advanced L2 learners
.
The subjects
were 69 EFL students who were randomly supplied with three types of annotations
:
(a) definitions of words only, (b) definitions combined with pictures, and (c)
definitions linked to short videos
.
The subjects did a vocabulary pretest, a vocabulary
posttest, a delayed vocabulary test, and then a reading comprehension quiz
.
The
77
results showed that the subjects who had access to definitions combined with pictures
and videos had significantly higher vocabulary scores on both immediate and delayed
posttests than the subjects who had access to definitions only
.
Moreover, Karp (2002) examined university students’ lexical development
while engaged in reading comprehension activities
.
Lexical development was
investigated through observing the effects of different forms of glosses on vocabulary
growth
.
The subjects were split into five groups; (1) definition, (2) multiple-choice
definitions, (3) a definition with a picture, (4) multiple-choice definitions combined
with pictures, or (5) no glosses
.
The results revealed that students in the definition
only group used the glossary more frequently than the other groups
.
Apparently, the
definition only group did not want to be distracted and confused by multimedia
content and multiple-choice definitions available to them, so they opted for
straightforward definition. This finding opposes what Akbulut (2007) and Al-
Seghayer (2001) found in their studies, as the subjects in the hypermedia groups did
not use the glossaries so often.
3
.
6
.
Electronic versus Printed Dictionary Use
Leffa (1992) was one of the first educators interested in the effects of EDs on
L2 learning
.
Leffa compared electronic glossaries to PDs regarding their effectiveness
on text comprehension in a translation task performed by 20 university students
.
Leffa
found that the subjects who used an ED exhibited better understanding of the passage
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