Evaluating learner dictionaries: What the reviews say

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses the findings of a survey which examines reviews of English learner dictionaries. The focus is on various aspects, such as the identity of the reviewers and intended readers, the stated purpose, the evaluation process, the different kinds of lexicographical and linguistic information discussed, the conclusions drawn, and the tone adopted. The findings of the survey suggest that most dictionary reviews are factual and descriptive rather than evaluative, and only in some cases is the evaluation based on a principled study of any kind. It is suggested that for such reviews to be truly useful to their intended readers, they should be evaluative and that at least part of the evaluation should be based on a study of the use of the dictionary by target users. © 2001 © 2001 Oxford University Press.