The Role of Effective Reading Using Monolingual Dictionary versus Bilingual Dictionary - Literature review Example

The Role of Effective Reading Using Monolingual Dictionary VS Reading Using Bilingual Dictionary in Improving Writing Skills Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission 1.1: Introduction Hayati (2005) determined that the fundamental importance of reading as rudimentary and complementary skill in the process of language learning plays an integral role in keeping one well informed of new findings and elevating one’s niche both professionally and academically. In this process, dictionaries come in handy in the diverse processes of leaning a language which includes reading comprehension. The choice of the ideal dictionary to use in this process is vital based on the fact that it will be principal in determining the eventual level of comprehension and finding the relevant information. However, despite the paramount role played by dictionaries in the reading process among different scholars in the field of academia, there exists inadequate scholarly investigation in regard to the contextual applicability of different models of dictionaries, most notably the monolingual and bilingual. In this regard, this study will be a profound effort to analyze the role of effective reading using the monolingual dictionaries when juxtaposed with reading using bilingual dictionaries in the efforts to enhance the writing skills by a student. This study will be important in enriching the applied linguistic literature on effectual dictionary use by learners who aim at applying the acquired information in their writing endeavors. In addition, it will be key in informing students, mostly those learning multiple languages on the most applicable level of their learning process where they can use either models of dictionaries and generate successful outcomes. This is supported by Lew (2004) who found out that bilingual dictionaries have been the traditional lexical resource for language learners. On the contrast the utility of monolingual dictionaries for English as a foreign language (EFL) and in a more general sense, learning foreign languages is a relatively contemporary development. 1.2: Statement of the problem As aforementioned in the preceding section, monolingual dictionaries have been traditionally subjected to limited utility despite the multiple merits that are embedded in their use, mostly by users learning foreign language. This has led to its proponents challenging its underuse in the reading, comprehension and writing endeavors. On the other hand, Piotrowski (1994) notes that most users opting for monolingual dictionaries often find themselves being confronted by a contradictory scenario whereby they are in dire need of knowing the L2 item so that they can be in a position to look it up, but the paradox remains that that L2 word is what they are not conversant with and are thus making an effort to find out. In this regard, a bilingual dictionary user is not confronted by such a problem based on the fact that they put into utility the L1 lexical system as the framework for access structure. The antagonism between these two schools of thought is bound to cause more dilemmas than solutions to dictionary users. This is because they will be faced by a quandary of whether to opt for the monolingual dictionary or the bilingual dictionary in their effective reading efforts and the eventual improvement of their writing skills. Generally, this situation has resulted in most learners using the ineffective dictionary models in their reading processes resulting to poor output in the efforts to enhance their writing skills. This study will thus aim at identifying the underlying factors that influence the choice of either the monolingual or the bilingual dictionary models in the ambitions towards effective reading and eventual improvement of writing skills. It is hoped that the findings from this study will guide the learners in their effective reading efforts using the right dictionary model which will be key in enhancing their writing skills. 1.3: Rationale of the study The intended research will play an integral role in the field of applied linguistics in two aspects. Firstly, this study aims at updating the existing literature on the role of effective reading using either the bilingual or the monolingual dictionaries and the ultimate effects in the improvement of the writing skills by the user. This is based on the fact that most of the studies conducted tend to analyze one specific context and ignore the other. In this regard, this study will use a comparative approach to give a detailed analysis of the course of using different dictionary models when a student is undertaking some writing tasks. Another reason why this study is important is to determine and gauge the extent to which the use of either the monolingual or the bilingual dictionaries has changed overtime. This will entail analyzing the utility trends of these two models by users who aspire to apply the acquired knowledge in improving their wring skills. This will elicit clarity in the overtime dynamics in the preferential treatment of either the monolingual or the bilingual by different classes of users who intend to enhance their writing skills. 1.4: Literature review The effective utility of the dictionary has been a subject of analysis since its inception in the 1960s. Laufer and Melamed (1994) cited that dictionaries which are the actual products of immense efforts by the lexicographers are written aimed at satisfying the consumers’ needs who in this case are the language learners. This has prompted diverse researches among scholars on the role played by the dictionaries in the reading, comprehension and eventual writing processes by users. In this regard, different researches have been conducted supporting the presumption that the comprehensive understanding of a particular context in the course of the reading process calls from a good command of grammar in the particular language in which it is written which can be instrumental in the effective development of the writing skills. Celce-Murcia & Mcintosh (1991) determined that having the capacity to fully and accurately comprehend a text at a relatively high rate requires an extensive knowledge of both grammar and vocabularies. This development prompted an enquiry into the different models of dictionaries and their eventual impact in enhancing the writing skills of the users. Perhaps the most profound comparative analysis of this phenomenon was instigated by Tomaszczyk (1983) who proposed the argument for the use of the bilingual dictionaries among the foreign language learners. This was done under four topics which will be explored in the subsequent discourse. It is worth noting that these four arguments were developed in the context of the needs of the foreign language learners. Firstly, he pointed out to the point that the vocabularies in a particular language are usually culture-specific. Against this background, there is a high unlikelihood that the monolingual dictionaries will have the capacity to fulfill the linguistic demands of a speaker of a different language who comes from another culture (Tomaszczyk, 1983) This presumption was supported by Bogaards (1991) who inferred that based on the fact that the monolingual dictionaries are written with no consideration of a particular first language, they tend to ignore the problem of false friends. This argument implies on the validity of bilingual dictionaries as opposed to the monolingual dictionaries by users, mostly those learning a foreign language. However, this has been counteracted by Laufer and Melamed (1994) who determined that the preference of the bilingual dictionary by the above authors is not an evidence of any attached beneficial and helpful advantage. In actual sense, they cited that the monolingual dictionaries were actually more helpful in assisting the learners get the relevant, credible and useful information that they seek in their reading efforts. This is because the entries in the monolingual dictionaries are endowed with the capacity of providing more precise and detailed information about a specific word when compared with the bilingual dictionary, for instance information about the common collocations, idiomatic utility, register and connotations. In addition, in case of a semantic incongruence between two languages, a plain one-word translation in bilingual dictionary can be misleading (Laufer & Melamed, 1994) Secondly, Tomaszczyk (1983) cited that bilingual dictionaries exclusively incorporate and cover the important aspect of interlingual contrast as opposed to the monolingual dictionaries. This is because the latter model is not developed with the consideration of speakers of a particular language. In this regard, he supported a lexicographic approach which is sensitive to a target language citing it to be beneficial. Nonetheless, the bilingual dictionaries are only perfect for hasty consultation as opposed to the monolingual ones which despite posing more challenges during the reading process are endowed with an extra advantage of initiating the user into the lexical system of L2 (Bejoint & Moulin, cited in Laufer & Melamed, 1994). Thirdly, Tomaszczyk (1983) presupposed that to a large extent, learners, readers and writes depend on their mother tongue in the course of their undertaking an thus the imperative need to capitalize on this evident fact to bring an interference between L1 and L2. However, it is apparent that this presumption may affect the readers in terms of inadequate development of skills in defining or paraphrasing which pose negative corollaries to the enhancement of their writing skills. The final presumption by Tomaszczyk (1983) was founded on the fact that widespread studies have revealed users preference of bilingual dictionaries as opposed to the monolingual ones. This denotes the ultimate value in the prior model. This hypothesis was supported by a comprehensive study by Atkins and Knowles (1990) which was conducted in seven European countries and encompassed over 1000 learners. This study revealed that approximately 75% of the students use bilingual dictionaries (Laufer & Melamed, 1994). All the above arguments result into an anomaly on which is the most ideal dictionary is recommendable for users seeking to further their writing skills. This prompts a comprehensive study into this maze which is the primary objective of this proposed study. 1.5: Scope of the study This study will be undertaken at Newcastle University over a period of two years. The breakdown of this timeframe is analyzed in a subsequent section. The preference of the above university is founded on the fact that the university has over 40 academic staff in linguistics and language sciences, making it one of the most diverse teams of linguists in Europe (Newcastle University Website, 2012). This is coupled with the strengths of the Centre for Research in Linguistics Sciences (CRILLS) which endowed with expertise enabling the more profound enquiry into human language with the greatest diversification of perspectives (Newcastle University Website, 2012). The study will thus seek to give a comprehensive insight into the role of effective reading using monolingual versus bilingual dictionaries by users who seek to enhance their writing skills. The population of the study will be from the dynamic and expanse community of scholars at Newcastle University. 1.6: Limitations of the study This study may face a few barriers that require mention in order to justify some of the sampling and other errors that may mar, albeit insignificantly, both its internal and external validity. The study may be confronted with the challenge related to time factors. This is because most of the target respondents are preoccupied with their scholarly tasks, mostly during exams time and may prove difficult to access. In this regard, the researcher will plan the interviews and administration of questionnaires during the less busy periods in the academic calendar, for instance during the commencement of semesters. In addition, the researcher will utilize other non-classes time like weekends and public holidays. There are also limitations associated with the sampling methods that will be used and the primary data collection methods. The study will rely on the questionnaire and interviews data collection methods. However, in a bid to gain the required information from the respondents the non-probability sampling techniques such as snowball sampling and judgmental sampling techniques will be used. While the samples undertaken from such techniques have important information, the samples cannot be said to representative of the population from which they are drawn. In this context, it will difficult to generalize results from the study across the population. 1.7: Research approach and methodology In the philosophical context, this study will be interpretivist. This is founded on the assumption that it is only through the subjective interpretation of and intervention in the reality of efforts to enhance writing skills can that reality of the role of effective reading using the monolingual dictionary when juxtaposed with bilingual dictionary in explaining it be comprehensively understood. The data for this study will be attained from both the primary and secondary data sources. Primary data will be acquired through extensive fieldwork while the secondary data will be acquired from published sources. Questionnaires will be used as the primary data collection tool. A survey questionnaire will be designed which will entail structured and unstructured questions due to both the nature of data being collected and also the research design. In addition, in-depth interviews will be conducted which will aid in the collection of qualitative data. This will necessitate designing intensive interview schedules to be administered on respondents who participate in international trade. These data collection will be ideal since they will result in the attainment of both qualitative and quantitative data which will be paramount in informing the study. In addition to the above tools of data collection, the other methodology will take an experimental approach to the study, aimed at giving an insight into the level of comprehension between two groups, one using monolingual dictionaries and the other using bilingual dictionaries. In this case, a passage will be given to both groups with their primary task being to correct the structural errors in the passage, with equal time being allocated respectively. Subsequently, an analysis will be conducted to gauge their level of performance. Data analysis will entail examining the collected data in order to elicit viable inference on the role of effective reading using monolingual versus bilingual dictionaries in the enhancement of writing skills. Several analysis methods such as graphs, pictorials, percentages will be used to analyze the data collected from the questionnaires and the interviews. 1.8: Significance of the study The study will be beneficial to diverse stakeholders in the applied linguistics realm. Firstly, the will be of benefit to future scholars since they can use it as a background for their studies. Secondly, learners will gain a comprehensive understanding of the applicability of either the monolingual or the bilingual dictionaries in their reading processes aimed at improving their writing skills. The study will also be fundamental to field of applied linguistics since it will contribute to the enrichment of the existing literature related to the utility of different models of dictionaries in the improvement of writing skills. This is against the background that inadequate research has been conducted in this field, thus necessitating further enquiry. 1.9: Timeframe The study will take two years, May 2012 - May 2014. All the tasks are broken down in the following Gantt chart. Task May – July, 2012 August-April, 2013 May- Sept, 2013 Oct-Dec, 2013 Jan-March, 2014 April-May, 2014 Planning of the research Data collection Data analysis Conclusion & Recommendations Amendment & Revision Presentation and report writing 1.10: Conclusion From the preceding discourse, it is evident that diverse views exist on the role of effective reading using either monolingual or bilingual dictionaries in the efforts to improve the users’ writing skills. Nonetheless, there has been limited research aimed at expounding on the above phenomenon. This research will thus be a fundamental springboard in explicating other dictionary models and their relevance by future scholars. References Bogaards, P. (1991). Dictionnaires pédagogiques et apprentissage du vocabulaire. Cahiers de Lexicologie, 59 (2): 93-107. Celce – Murcia, M., &, L. McIntosh (1991). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Rowely: Newbury House Publishers. Hayati, M.A (2005). A Comparative Study of Using Bilingual and Monolingual Dictionaries in Reading Comprehension of Intermediate EFL Students. The Reading Matrix, 5(2), 61-66. Laufer, B. &Melamed, L. (1994). Monolingual, Bilingual and 'Bilingualised' Dictionaries: Which are More Effective, for What and for Whom?. Haifa: University of Haifa. Lew, R. (2004). Which Dictionary for Whom?: Receptive use of Bilingual, Monolingual and Semi-Lingual Dictionaries by Polish Learners of English. Poznan: Motivex. Newcastle University Website (2012). Retrieved on April 08, 2012 from www.ncl.ac.uk Piotrowski, T. (1994). Problems in bilingual lexicography. Wroclaw: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wroclawskiego. Tomaszczyk, J. (1983). On bilingual dictionaries: The case for bilingual dictionaries for foreign language learners. In Lexicography: Principles and practice, Hartmann, Reinhard R.K. (ed.), 41-51. London: Academic Press. Read More