| Abstract |
This study investigates the effects of dictionary use instruction on meaning determination of polysemous words among beginner-level Japanese learners of English, or more specifically, its effects on selecting an appropriate L1 equivalent for target L2 polysemous words from the multiple senses provided by a bilingual dictionary. Twenty-five Japanese high school students participated and were divided into two groups based on having received a dictionary instruction class or a normal reading comprehension class. The dictionary instruction was conducted so as to increase linguistic and dictionary-specific knowledge and raise awareness of surrounding contexts of a word in the text. The quantitative analysis of a pre- and post-test revealed that the group with dictionary instruction considerably improved in locating an appropriate L1 equivalent within the entry for a polysemous word. In addition, after dictionary instruction, participants were more likely to pay careful attention to familiar words when they appeared in a syntactically and/or semantically unfamiliar way. These findings indicate that, even though dictionary instruction was conducted in a relatively short period, it largely contributed to the learners’ development of ability for meaning determination of polysemous words. This effect occurred while reading with and without a dictionary. |
| BibTex |
@InProceedings{ELX2016-018,
author={Osamu Matsumoto},
title={Examining the Effectiveness of Dictionary Instruction on Meaning Determination of Polysemous Words},
pages={206-211},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th EURALEX International Congress},
year={2016},
month={sep},
date={6-10},
address={Tbilisi, Georgia},
editor={Tinatin Margalitadze, George Meladze},
publisher={Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi University Press},
isbn={978-9941-13-542-2},
} |
