Summary
Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, also known as MEDAL, is an advanced learner's dictionary published from 2002 until 2023[1] by Macmillan Education. It shares most of the features of this type of dictionary: it provides definitions in simple language, using a controlled defining vocabulary; most words have example sentences to illustrate how they are typically used; and information is given about how words combine grammatically or in collocations. MEDAL also introduced a number of innovations.[2][3] These include:
- "collocation boxes" giving lists of high-frequency collocates, identified using Sketch Engine software[4]
- word frequency information, with the most frequent 7500 English words shown in red and categorised in three frequency bands, based on the idea, derived from Zipf's law, that a relatively small number of high-frequency words account for a high percentage of most texts[5]
- "metaphor boxes", showing how the vocabulary used for expressing common concepts (such as "anger") tends to reflect a common metaphorical framework. This is based on George Lakoff's ideas of conceptual metaphor[6]
- a 50-page section providing guidance on writing academic English, based on a collaboration with the Centre for English Corpus Linguistics in Louvain, Belgium and using the Centre's learner corpus data[7]
The Macmillan English Dictionary also existed as an electronic dictionary, available free on the Web. Like most online dictionaries,[8] it benefits from being able to update content regularly with new words and meanings. In addition to the dictionary, the online version had a thesaurus function enabling users to find synonyms for any word, phrase or meaning.[9] There was also a blog (the Macmillan Dictionary Blog) with daily postings on language issues, especially on global English and language change.[10] An "Open Dictionary"[11] allowed users to provide their own dictionary entries for new words they had come across. The online edition was recognised as a good example of this emerging genre of reference publishing.[12] The website of the electronic dictionary and the blog were closed on 30 June 2023.[1]
Related publications
edit- Macmillan Essential Dictionary, a shorter version that contains the most basic vocabulary (over 45,000 headwords)
References
edit- ^ a b "Macmillan Dictionary to close after 14 years of online excellence". Macmillan Education. Archived from the original on 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
- ^ Bogaards, Paul. Review article, International Journal of Lexicography, 16/1, 2003: 43–55
- ^ Bejoint, H. The Lexicography of English. Oxford University Press, 2010: 186–189
- ^ Kilgarriff, A. & Rundell, M. Lexical profiling software and its lexicographic applications – a case study. In Braasch and Povlsen (Eds.) Proceedings of the Tenth Euralex Congress, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 2004, 807–818.
- ^ I.S.P. Nation, Learning Vocabulary in Another Language, Cambridge University Press 2001, 13–17
- ^ Moon, R. On specifying metaphor: an idea and its implementation. International Journal of Lexicography, 17(2), 2004: 195–222
- ^ Gilquin, G., Granger, S. & Paquot, M. Learner corpora: The missing link in EAP pedagogy. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. 6, 2007, 319–335
- ^ Bejoint, H. The Lexicography of English Oxford University Press, 2010: 373–374
- ^ Edemariam, Aida. "Online dictionaries: which is best?". The Guardian. 30 August 2010
- ^ "That's my English". Macmillan Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- ^ "Open Dictionary". Macmillan Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- ^ Lannoy, V. Free online dictionaries: why and how?, in Granger, S. & Paquot, M. (Eds), eLexicography in the 21st Century: New Challenges, New Applications: Proceedings of eLex 2009, Louvain, Belgium: Cahiers du Cental. 2010, 173-182