E-dictionaries and phonolexico-graphic needs of EFL users

Abstract

The phonetic aspect of (EFL) dictionaries is among the most seriously underrated and underdeveloped in (meta)lexicography. Pertinent bibliography is scant and even the best learner dictionaries are found wanting on a number of counts. This contribution is both a summary of my thirteen-year-long research into (pedagogical) phonolexicography and a look ahead. The current state-of-the-art in phonolexicography is presented with particular attention paid to how the leading pedagogical EFL e-dictionaries relate to the actual and potential phonolexicographic needs of their users, both students and teachers. The main themes are: (a) the specificity of phonolexicographic needs of (Polish) EFL users, (b) phonetic representation, both graphic and acoustic, in dictionaries and its problems, (c) pho-netic access, i.e. querying the contents of the dictionary via the phonetic code, (d) didactic aspects of phonolexicographic information, i.e. its use in teaching and learning (EFL) pronunciation.

Keywords: e-dictionaries, efl, english, phonolexicography, phonetic access, pronunciation in dictionaries