Encyclopedic learners' dictionaries

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This book evaluates the newly developed encyclopedic learner's dictionary (ELD) by addressing three main questions: what ELDs are, their usefulness, and how to design them effectively for users. The first chapter analyzes ELDs from a typological perspective, examining the elements that create this lexicographical type. It compares two specific ELDs, the "Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture" and the "Oxford Advanced Learner's Encyclopedic Dictionary," alongside their non-encyclopedic counterparts, culminating in a checklist of ELD-specific design features. The second chapter shifts to the user perspective, providing a critical survey of prior user-based studies and detailing the questionnaire methodology used in this research. Forty informants participated, allowing for correlations between user characteristics, dictionary use, and attitudes toward encyclopedic information in learners' dictionaries. The third chapter offers an in-depth description of each design feature found in the ELDs, along with evaluations of their usefulness from informants. This synthesis of typological analysis and user feedback leads to a user-informed evaluation of ELD components. The book concludes with implications for future ELD production, presenting a checklist of recommendations and suggesting areas for further lexicographical research.