Using Online Dictionaries

Published by De Gruyter 2014

Using Online Dictionaries

Edited by: Carolin Müller-Spitzer

Volume 145 in the series Lexicographica. Series Maior

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110341287

Overview
Contents

About this book

Until now, there has been very little research into the use of online dictionaries. In contrast, the market for online dictionaries is increasing both for academic lexicography and for commercial lexicography, with sales figures for printed reference works in continual decline. This has led to a demand for reliable empirical information on how online dictionaries are actually being used and how they could be made more user-friendly.
The volume Using Online Dictionaries makes a substantial contribution to closing this research gap. It is divided into four parts: The first part contains articles on fundamental issues: a research review of the empirical studies on digital dictionaries which have already been carried out, and a brief methodological guideline for lexicographical researchers who are interested in conducting their own empirical research. The second part contains the results of two studies that focus on general questions about the use of online dictionaries. It presents empirical data on contexts of dictionary use, on expectations and demands regarding online dictionaries. Furthermore, innovative features, such as the use of multimedia elements or the option of a user-adaptive interface and questions of design were assessed empirically. The third part of this volume comprises more specific studies of online dictionaries: an eye-tracking study evaluating the new web design of the dictionary portal OWID and a log file study which tries to get to the bottom of the following question: Do dictionary users look up frequent words, or put differently, is there a connection between how often a word is looked up and how often it appears in a corpus? In the last chapter of this thematic section, the question of how users judge the combination of a written paraphrase and an additional illustration in illustrated online dictionaries is addressed. The last part focuses on the use of monolingual dictionaries, in particular the German online dictionary elexiko. In this context, two online questionnaire-based studies were carried out. The empirical studies were conducted in the form of online surveys combining questionnaires and experimental elements and in the form of laboratory studies using eye-tracking technology as well as using observational methods such as log file analyses.
Regarding the comprehensive research framework, this volume can be relevant to lexicographers, metalexicographers and linguists who are interested in the use of (online) dictionaries and in the development and exploration of lexicographical data for the internet, as well as linguists interested in empirical methods. It addresses a broad expert audience by presenting an academic subject which is currently the focus of much discussion.

Author / Editor information

Carolin Müller-Spitzer, Institut für deutsche Sprache, Mannheim, Germany.

Supplementary Materials

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Introduction Carolin Müller-Spitzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I: Basics
Review of research into the use of electronic dictionaries Antje Töpel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
Empirical research into dictionary use A brief guide Alexander Koplenig Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
Part II: General studies on online dictionaries
The first two international studies on online dictionaries – background information Alexander Koplenig and Carolin Müller-Spitzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	79
Empirical data on contexts of dictionary use Carolin Müller-Spitzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
General issues of online dictionary use Alexander Koplenig and Carolin Müller-Spitzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
Online dictionaries: expectations and demands Carolin Müller-Spitzer and Alexander Koplenig Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Questions of design Alexander Koplenig and Carolin Müller-Spitzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	189
Part III: Specialized studies on online dictionaries
Evaluation of a new web design for the dictionary portal OWID An attempt at using eye-tracking technology Carolin Müller-Spitzer, Frank Michaelis and Alexander Koplenig Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
Dictionary users do look up frequent words. A log file analysis Alexander Koplenig, Peter Meyer and Carolin Müller-Spitzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
Rezeption der Illustration, jedoch Vernachlässigung der Paraphrase? Ergebnisse einer Benutzerbefragung und Blickbewegungsstudie Katharina Kemmer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Part IV: Studies on monolingual (German) online dictionaries, esp. elexiko
Benutzerwünsche und -meinungen zu dem monolingualen deutschen Onlinewörterbuch elexiko Annette Klosa, Alexander Koplenig and Antje Töpel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	281
Index (English chapters) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	385
Index (German chapters) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	387

(Deutsch)

Languages: English, German
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Lexicographers, Linguistis, Institutes, Libraries
Pages
- Front matter: 6
- Main content: 387

eBook

Published: February 27, 2014
ISBN: 9783110341287

Hardcover

Published: March 31, 2014
ISBN: 9783110341164