There is little, if any, doubt that dictionaries constitute invaluable reference material and can be a rich source of input for us, learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). There are a number of different dictionaries we can use, depending on our purposes. If we are looking up a word such as work up in It is necessary to work up a schedule for 2011, a general dictionary would serve our purpose. However, as you may know, if we are reading a text dealing with the construction of pipe cutters, and we need to pin down the meaning of saddle cuts, such a dictionary will probably not be of any use. We'll have to refer to a specialized dictionary.
Also, it is critical to decode the signs and information packed in a dictionary, such as pronunciation reference, for example, BrE / AmE for varieties of English or grammatical data, like [C] or [U] for countable and uncountable nouns. Pronouncing – as well as general-purpose – dictionaries usually contain a set of pages specifying and explaining the terms and symbols used. Phonemic symbols are a must to handle when it comes to using pronunciation dictionaries, but that may not be enough. Word stress patterns are part of the identity of words. One-, and possibly, two-syllable words may pose no problems. But from three syllables on, words may have patterns EFL learners may not be able to predict. For this reason, one important thing to do when looking up a word’s pronunciation is to locate where stress(es) go(es). Some dictionaries use a mark above the syllable ( ˈ ) to show primary stress and a mark below ( ˌ ) to indicate secondary stress. An equally important but a bit harder thing to do would be to identify the accentuation (= also called prominence) pattern of so-called idioms and set phrases. Apart from knowing what a particular expression means, it is normally as relevant to find where the last prominent syllable (= tonic) should be placed. By way of example, the phrase
Phil didn’t want to get his hands dirty with it.
may be pronounced with perfect-sounding consonants and vowels, yet with the meaning wrongly expressed if care were not taken with accentuation. We might feel tempted to put the tonic on dirty. That might be OK if the meaning intended were literal. This phrase, however, often has the idiomatic meaning of “doing physical work”. Therefore, the tonic is normally on hands. Unfortunately, there aren’t many dictionaries informing us of these patterns. One source I know could be consulted to this end is the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. The book and CD-ROM versions do bring tonicity information about these phrases but the online one apparently doesn’t. Just check it out!
I forgot to tell you that getting this information may be extremely useful not only for using when speaking English but also when marking intonation, eg. in tests.
ReplyDeleteThanks, It was really useful!! I believe I would also have put the tonic on "dirty" if you asked me. In fact, I still have a comment to make: is it different in any idiomatic expression? I mean, we have to consider the meaning of each idiom in order to put the tonic, right? I consider idioms very important when speaking as, if you have the chance to listen to any native speaker talking,(I did not have many) I think they use idiomatic expressions quite a lot and it makes the difference, it makes it more natural. The only problem is that we tend to learn many many idioms but, which are the ones that are still used?? Is there a site where you could check if they are old-fashined?? and in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, does it show the pattern or how they are pronounced?? Thanks, and quite interesting the blog..
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information teacher. It could be useful to have this before the test. Do you know other sources where the prominences are available so that we can study for the final exam?
ReplyDeleteMariana
To celestehockey and anyone else interested,
ReplyDeleteIn principle, as much as we cannot decide what words can make up an idiom, we can't choose the tonicity pattern (=where to place tonic). This is a feature attached to the idiom as a whole.
The question of using idioms is a sensitive one. As non-native English speakers, we may find it quite difficult to spontaneously introduce idioms into our own speech. However, this is perfectly possible. To my eye, idiomatic expressions constitute high-level lexicon units because they involve figurative meaning. These expressions are not to be interpreted by understanding the meaning of each of its components. This is why I think they are difficult to acquire and readily use.
The monolingual dictionaries on the market (in Córdoba, at least) somehow or other come with information as to whether idioms are in current use or have fallen out of use. The Oxford dictionary mentioned above is particularly useful, as it brings tonicity info.
To Mariana and anyone thinking about the final test:
ReplyDeleteYou can practice with any scripts of the listening exercises you have in your language textbooks. Or better still, you can work on the material provided in class and keep on reading the posts on this topic on this blog.