Literature Review
Charlesto (2008) said that a dictionary is shared by at least four people when it
is put in one family’s bookshelf. A dictionary in the home serves as a resource for the
whole family. It improves everyone's vocabulary and it encourages children to learn
more words.
There are many different kind of dictionaries in the world. Some dictionaries are
actually picture dictionaries and have a picture with every entry. Some pictures can
help the child locate the entry he needs. They also encourage further exploration of
the dictionary as children want to look at the pictures and then read about them.
Others are set up with categories such as color words, animals, fruit, etc. It is wise for
parents of children with special needs to understand their child’s reading level to
guide at-home reading efforts. A dictionary can keep children to use as their own
personal reference books. A dictionary is also an essential tool for a quality education.
Modern language dictionaries has also been transformed from simple reference tools
into dynamic passports to the culture of the target language, backed up by a unique
language learning series.
Paperback dictionaries look cool to kids in the upper elementary grades.. A good
way to determine the child’s level is to ask his teacher because the child’s comfortable
reading level may or may not be the same as his grade in school. It is important to get
a dictionary at the correct level so that it is functional. Many parents find it helpful to
get the same dictionary that is used in the child’s classroom.(Lynn Moore, 2007)
Children English Dictionary is to improve the reading ability and comprehension
of all children. English dictionaries provide students help in many subjects. There are
always a wide range of favorite topics chosen by the students. A student cannot do his
or her best work without a dictionary. By providing this tool we assist teachers in
making all students active readers, good writers and creative thinkers.
“I can't imagine what would happen to a group of students who do not have their
own dictionaries throughout the course of their education, because a dictionary is
certainly a book that can open up such a world of learning. One of the best things to
watch is a student writing his or her name in the dictionary and seeing how proud they
are to own one.” (Hines, 2008)
A dictionary is an indispensable tool for children to learn language. They can not
only learn native language, but also learn foreign language. However, it sould not be a
passive role that students consult dictionaries only when they can not understand the
words . Idealistically, a dictionary can play a more positive role which has colorful
cover and abundant content to attract readers, and then readers would study it deeply.
A dictionary would become a good tool that readers can explore language and gain
their knowledge from reading it.
Nowadays, there are a lot of electronic dictionaries which have small volume,
large capacity, and many functions. Technology-developing updates quickly, and
electronic dictionaries are also pursuing the continuous improvement to achieve
perfection. But electronic dictionaries still have some insufficiencies, such as the sizes
of screens, and fragmentary information. Although it seems to have abundant content
and completed functions, in fact, it is just a advertising technique. The emphasis of
vocabulary sould be improved. And the most important is that electronic dictionaries
are not designed for children to learn English.
However, which English dictionary is the best choice to parents to buy for their
children? Actually, there is no standard answer to this question. But an ideal English
dictionary should be at children’s standpoint to see the world. It is that teaching them
to convey their thought in limited English vocabularies they have already known; use
these vocabularies to describe their surroundings. Besides, the appearance of a
dictionary has to be attractive, and the content of it should be colorful and vivid. All
of these are to arouse children’s motivation and interest of learning. Furthermore, a
children English dictionary should be different from the general English dictionary in
their nature rather than a simplified English dictionary or a tool for meeting
examinations.