You meet the most interesting people online.
This week I’m running some new ads on Facebook.
Perhaps you’ve even seen one or two.
Some people click, they buy, they take my advice, their English improves, and they live happily ever after with better English.
Other people, like Stephane Bach from France, get angry.
Mr. Bach warns Facebook user not to follow my advice.
Instead, he says you should “USE A DICTIONARY… When you encounter a word you don’t know and you are too lazy to look it up, you will doom yourself to perpetual ignorance. This is why Americans pepper their speech with profanities; they don’t have a command of the English language.”
Translation: Learn English from a dictionary or you’ll sound like an American.
The Problem With The Dictionary
I like dictionaries.
I use them all the time.
I even created my own dictionary. Perhaps you even bought my dictionary…
But a dictionary is a tool.
And all tools, even the versatile Swiss Army Knife, have their limits.
Here’s what the dictionary is good for:
- answering the question, “Do I know what that means?”
- helping you fall asleep
Here’s what the dictionary is NOT good for:
- remembering words
- enjoying English
Not sure what a word means?
Go ahead, look it up!
But when you are finally able to remember the word and use it correctly in a sentence, it will not be because of the dictionary.
It will be because you keep reading and keep seeing the word again and again.
Reading is the real teacher, not the f——ing dictionary.
I fully agree with you about how important reading is for learning English. But you cannot always guess the meaning of an unknown word even from the context. And if you do not consult the dictionary on the spot, you will not make any progress with your vocabulary. On the contrary, I love using English-English dictionaries(Longman) as they not just help to understand the particular word but also help to learn to speak the language as the explanations are very good sample sentences. Actually , it is not boring at all, on the conrary, I love using it, also love looking up the etymology of a word,
Well if you love using it, then of course, keep using it! And that’s great that you use English-English!
Sometimes online dictionaries don’t help much with etymology and cultural context. The Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture has been my ‘go to’ dictionary since 1990, with everything I need to know as a language teacher at my fingertips. I also use dictionaries of idioms and phrasal verbs in class. Online is useful for quick spelling and phonology checks (including British/American alternatives), sometimes meanings. Student use of technology often increases dependence on translation rather than the use of the target language.
Yeah, much better to stay away from translations after the beginner stage.