Macmillan English Dictionary

Review from Anglo Files – Journal of English Teaching
May ’05 No. 136


Does the reform mean that we will have to renew our entire stock of books? Some Danish publishers seem to think so, as they assure us that their publications comply with the reform and are therefore good investments for the future. I am not going to get involved in that discussion here but instead look at publications where the publishers have not had the Danish education system in mind, and definitely not the 2005 reform.

New educational targets are being set and language skills in particular seem to be more in focus than previously. In the introductions to the Macmillan English Dictionary (MED), there is a section on learning skills, in which the use of handbooks is described. Using dictionaries - either real books, CD-ROMs or via access to the Internet - is one of the ways learning skills can be trained. That working with dictionaries creates a greater awareness of language and thereby better control of language is obvious. Seen in this light, the Macmillan English Dictionary is a really good innovation on the dictionary market.

MED consists of both a traditional dictionary and a CD-ROM with the possibility of Internet access to the dictionary’s homepage. The book consists of over 100,000 entries with 30,000 idioms and expressions and has the same size – and weight, over one and a half kilos! – as other English dictionaries. The words are the same; but the layout in Macmillan English Dictionary is interesting from the teaching point of view. Approx. 7,500 words are printed in red and thus easy to find. These are the most important / frequently used words in the written and spoken language. There are clear explanations of the various basic meanings of the words that quickly guide the user along. However, we should probably not expect our students to master them all!

MED also operates with a star system based on a core vocabulary with one to three stars in which approx. 2,500 words with *** represent the most common words in the four main word classes (e.g. cut, car, always, beautiful). ** are words like myth, smart knit and broadly. One can question the relevance of a ranking system like this, which is not consistent with the requirements to a Danish student’s vocabulary. Knock, for example, has only one star. The main purpose must be for the students to be able to progress further than a basic vocabulary so that personal characteristics, for instance, are not limited to the use of nice or bad. The layout of the dictionary cannot totally help achieve that. However, as in every dictionary, there are good synonyms in the entries that can help our students expand their vocabulary. There are quite entertaining illustrations of the most common words but, in my opinion, they are not central to the use of the dictionary.

The conclusion for the paper version is that it is on a par with the existing and frequently used dictionaries but easier to work with and more attractively designed.

The main innovation is in the accompanying CD-ROM, on which the whole paper version of the dictionary is collected. So you do not need to strain your back and can look entries up directly in the dictionary on a computer. The CD-ROM can be installed on a computer and, by opening a small window, be on the screen the whole time. It is possible to make comments / translations to the dictionary entries in a notebook so that the translation will pop up again next time the word is looked up. For every single entry you can hear the pronunciation of the word in both British English and American English. Your own pronunciation can be recorded and compared with the pronunciation on the CD-ROM. This does require a microphone connection to the computer, but this is not a major financial problem.

The most ingenious use of MED is that you can use the dictionary while you are working electronically on another document on the screen. If you open the program and use the so-called quick guide, the word that the cursor is placed on is shown in a small box on the screen. Here you can both check the spelling – if you are writing – and the meaning and pronunciation of the word, if you are reading a document. The document just has to be in electronic form, e.g. in Word or on a web page. All you do is move the cursor over the word. Then the word will pop up in the small window with the full entry, which you can scroll through. This is really clever in connection with texts on the Internet where it is not always certain that the level of the article is that of the student. So the students can get explanations of words at the same
time as they read the text. In this connection it is possible to compile a wordlist for the article so that the wordlist is included in the actual text if it is printed. Or better still: the students can make their own wordlists that include exactly the words they need.

There are study pages both in the paper version and on the CD-ROM. The articles are in the paper version but often the need arises when you are working on the computer. There are articles on numbers, phrasal verbs, and academic writing for example, all beneficial for the students in connection with written work. As with so many other things, only one method or approach is presented, and you should consider carefully whether this is the way you had considered teaching or if this is what the standard is. The sections on pragmatism and word formation can possibly be included in General Understanding of Language.

The requirement of self-assessment, which is implied in the continuous assessment, can be met to a certain extent, as wordlists can be made which can then be used for simple knowledge and comprehension tests. In connection with this, there is a section aimed at the teacher for presentations, for example, with word lists. An atlas for quick reference is not particularly detailed but will suffice in most situations.

The online guide naturally requires an Internet connection; but it can be used on any computer at any time. If you have bought a copy of MED, you can be online free of charge and use the dictionary that is online.
You can find more or less the same facilities here as on the CD-ROM so you do not need to have the computer with you in which you have installed the program.

The price must also be mentioned as an advantage for the book; a class set is not an exorbitant investment. I believe that this is an investment for the future that gives the students and their teachers a really good tool for tackling the many new tasks that the subject of English will involve in the future.

Ole Juul Lund

Reproduced by kind permission of the Journal of English Teaching