Considering the Merits, and Some Demerits, of the Longman English–Japanese Dictionary

Abstract

After comparing English monolingual and bilingual learner's dictionaries, the author discusses the Longman English–Japanese Dictionary (LEJD), compiled on the basis of three large-scale corpora. It impresses especially by its user-friendliness, seventeen aspects being listed which accounts for this. The parts comprising the macrostructure of LEJD are then enumerated, giving an overview of the useful information contained in the front, middle and back matter. The micro-structure excels especially by the clear and simple definitions, the abundant and appropriate illus-trative examples and the colourful and impressive pictorial illustrations. After considering these merits, the author mentions some demerits which will hopefully be reduced or eliminated in revised future editions.

Keywords: : English Learner's Dictionaries, Language Corpora, User-Friendliness, Definitions, Illustrative Examples, Pictorial Illustrations