Learning words and the use of the dictionary

silversnow2008
#1. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

I use the …
I use the dictionary lo look up the pronunciation because in english pronunciation is not predictable.

Fasulye2009
#2. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

La methode LingQ va …
La methode LingQ va bien pour laisser moi aquérir de nouveaux mots. Donc je suis tres conente de pouvoir l’utiliser. Mais quand-meme j’ai une collection de environ 70 dictionnaires en papier (= des livres) et je les utilise regulirerement.

Esoparagon
#3. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

I can’t agree more. …
I can’t agree more. The words in the brains of natives are the real dictionaries. Dictionaries are basic approximations of the living language’s words. We are the masters not the dictionary.

daveyork0
#4. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

Hypocrisy is to do …
Hypocrisy is to do something yourself while you raise a moral objection to others doing it. What’s so hard about that?

zerowski
#5. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

What do people …
What do people think of these new but very expensive electronic dictionaries , I saw one recently that when you talk into it it translates your speech out loud into another language , crazy price though 800euro.

zerowski
#6. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

Have you heard of …
Have you heard of the GOLD LIST METHOD Steve, its on you tube a guy who calls himself uncle davey, if not check it out,

ErreEneCe
#7. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

I’ve always loved …
I’ve always loved dictionaries just I’ve always loved encyclopedias However, only after I became serious about learning languages I realized, as you say, that they’re not that helpful for learning words.

I now use dictionaries mostly for the languages in which I’m already fairly fluent when I want more information about a particular word, say etimology or pronunciation. Only a few dictionaries provide that kind of information (OED, Le Petit Robert). Most are really just useless wordlists.

siiyong
#8. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

You’re totally …
You’re totally right. A dictionary have to show the current state of a language but not to set anything. That’s a big problem of Spanish language. The RAE (Real Academia Española) acts like know-it-all and always try yo impose its views.

bjorinn
#9. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

I agree with you in …
I agree with you in some aspects, but sometimes people use certain words in the wrong context and in those cases a dictionary definition comes in very handy, since it teaches you the meaning of the word. What you are talking about is that the meaning of a word changes over longer periods of time.

mediteight
#10. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

When I use a word,” …
When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.

yahags
#11. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

Learning words is …
Learning words is the biggest task but here’s a much bigger task for 2 languages – Chinese and Japanese. A task 99% of learners never finish in their lifetimes. The biggest taboo ever.

lingosteve
#12. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

I use a phonetic …
I use a phonetic layout on my Mac. Is this what you are referring to or is it something else?

AstAMoore
#13. October 15th, 2009, at 11:42 AM.

Go to System …
Go to System Preferences -> International -> Input Menu and turn on the “Russian – Phonetic” layout. You’ll be surprised.