Oxford Student's Dictionary of Current English [antikvár]

This dictionary has been specially prepared for those learning English up to the Intermediate level. Language is made up of words (the vocabulary) and of the accepted ways of putting these words together (the syntax). We learn words and expressions in the mother tongue by hearing them used, again and again, in infancy, and always in particular situations. We are strongly motivated because we have to communicate. Words may have numerous meanings for many different situations. It is only when we have heard or seen a word repeatedly that we begin to know it. For a foreign language (eg English for a German child) or for a second language (eg English for a Nigerian child in a home where English is spoken by the family), there are other ways of identifying words. The equivalent in the mother tongue may be given by the teacher, or found by the learner in a bilingual dictionary. By this means identification is immediate and can be (but is not always) accurate. This is a first step only, however. Until the learner can use the words confidently and accurately, until he has instant recognition and recall of the word, he does not know it. A good teacher will use well-tried methods to give the meaning of new words without the use of the mother tongue. He may use drawings and diagrams. A very competent teacher may explain a new word by using other words already known. This is what a monolingual dictionary (such as this one) attempts to do. What, then, are the advantages of a monolingual dictionary such as this, in which English words are dealt with in English? Modern textbooks encourage learners to think, write and speak in English only. This may be difficult at first but the rewards are well worth it. It is the more natural way of acquiring competence in a language. As soon as a learner has the confidence to read simple English sentences, he can use a monolingual dictionary if it provides simple definitions and notes to help him to use the vocabulary in context. A bilingual dictionary has some claims to usefulness. There are some words for which there is usually a clear and unambiguous equivalent {tulip, panther, chisel, valve). But there are thousands of words with no exact equivalent, which, even when defined clearly, need examples before they are fully known. A word in isolation is a dead