Is digital always better? Comparing two English print dictionaries with their digital counterparts

IF 0.8 2区 文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS
Emma Ferrett, Stefan Dollinger
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引用次数: 5

Abstract

In this paper we discuss advantages and disadvantages of e-dictionaries over print dictionaries in order to answer one increasingly relevant question: is digital always better? We compare the e-content from Oxford University Press and Merriam-Webster flagship dictionaries against their most recent print counterparts. The resulting data shows that the move from print to digital, against popular perception, results in a loss of lexicographical detail and scope. After assessing the user-friendliness of the e-dictionaries’ sites in both desktop and mobile app formats, we conclude that Merriam-Webster currently utilizes the digital medium somewhat better, while Oxford University Press is the current market leader in collaborations with tech giants such as Google. Most crucially, however, both companies have yet to devise and implement optimal ways to balance advertising noise and lexicographical content. Finally, we compare the virtual popularity of e-dictionaries according to their social media efforts and product partnerships. The greatest problem e-dictionaries currently face is that content does routinely change in unspecified and even undocumented ways. Despite these significant disadvantages, the convenience of mobile online accessibility appears to outweigh the concern with the reliability and quality of content.
数字化总是更好吗?两本英文印刷版词典与数字版词典的比较
在本文中,我们讨论了电子词典相对于印刷词典的优势和劣势,以回答一个日益相关的问题:数字词典总是更好吗?我们将牛津大学出版社和韦氏词典的电子内容与最新的印刷版进行了比较。由此产生的数据表明,从印刷到数字的转变,与大众的看法相反,导致了词典细节和范围的丧失。在评估了桌面和移动应用程序格式的电子词典网站的用户友好性后,我们得出结论,韦氏词典目前更好地利用了数字媒体,而牛津大学出版社是目前与谷歌等科技巨头合作的市场领导者。然而,最关键的是,两家公司都尚未设计和实施平衡广告噪音和词典内容的最佳方法。最后,我们根据电子词典在社交媒体上的努力和产品合作伙伴关系,对其虚拟流行程度进行了比较。电子词典目前面临的最大问题是,内容经常以未指明甚至未记录的方式发生变化。尽管存在这些显著的缺点,但移动在线访问的便利性似乎超过了对内容可靠性和质量的关注。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.90
自引率
20.00%
发文量
16
期刊介绍: The International Journal of Lexicography was launched in 1988. Interdisciplinary as well as international, it is concerned with all aspects of lexicography, including issues of design, compilation and use, and with dictionaries of all languages, though the chief focus is on dictionaries of the major European languages - monolingual and bilingual, synchronic and diachronic, pedagogical and encyclopedic. The Journal recognizes the vital role of lexicographical theory and research, and of developments in related fields such as computational linguistics, and welcomes contributions in these areas.
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