The role of illustrations in modern dictionaries

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The role of illustrations in modern dictionaries

Nurlanova Balzhan Nurlankyzy

Abstract: the present article examines the question of the role of illustration in modern dictionaries and the functions performed by it. There were analyzed the results of the survey on the level of demand and usefulness of illustrations in dictionaries; the theoretical materials on this topic were studied as well.

Аннотация: данная статья изучает вопрос роли иллюстрации в современных словарях, а также функции, выполняемые ею. Проанализированы данные результатов опроса по теме востребованности и пользе иллюстраций в словарях, а также теоретические материалы по данной теме.

Keywords: image, illustration, dictionary. Ключевые слова: изображение, иллюстрация, словарь.

There is a beautiful phrase with a very deep meaning by Aristotle: «There can be no words without images».

Images and illustrations play a major role in our daily communication as they are the carriers of information that we transmit to each other.

New research in the Journal of Neuroscience confirms human brain is recognizing each word as an individual picture - we learn words by training neurons to recognize complete words - not parts of them.

At the end of the 20th century one of the most important characteristics of all manuals was their typography design and illustrative graphics occupancy. According to opinion of psychologists, colours that surround us are inextricably linked with our mood, health, working abilities (operability) and behavior. Expressive effectiveness of dictionaries can be achieved via the bright covers, unusual design, illustrations, and, of course, by using various colours.

According to our survey carried out in May-June 2016 among the consumers of printed dictionaries for children (all the survey participants were teachers, parents, students of philological faculties and those respondents who buy the children-oriented literature for little brothers/sisters), 55.6 % of respondents consider the visual component of dictionaries to be important (but not essential), and 40.0 % of respondents find it to be very important. However 2.2 % do not take it as something necessary and consider that the presence of this component in dictionaries makes no difference. In addition, 6.7 % of respondents have chosen an individual answer, where all of them came to conclusion that the usefulness of the visual aspect of dictionaries actually depends on the type of dictionary [figure 1].

Fig. 1. The bar chart of respondents' answer

93.3 % of respondents of our survey consider that the use of picture dictionaries in teaching children a foreign language is essential, and 6.7 % of them find it useful but not indispensable, while no one came to conclusion that picture dictionaries are not necessary and useful at all.

The interesting fact is that 26.7 % of respondents would choose a dictionary illustrated with pictures for children whose age is 3-5 years, whereas 73.3 % would prefer one illustrated with photos.

The reverse results were received while studying the respondents' opinion on the question of what kind of illustration is more preferable in dictionaries oriented on children whose age is 6-10: only 28.9 % finds pictures to be better for children of this age, whilst 71.1 % considers photos to be more useful.

A typology of relationships for general language dictionaries is based on the foregoing the following typology of relationships for general language dictionaries is proposed [1]. This typology is based on the relationship between the text and the illustration:

Self-sufficient (the illustration provides all the necessary information - perhaps supplemented by text, but the latter would be redundant).

Text-supporting (the illustration elucidates one or more aspects of the text).

Text-supported (the text explains the illustration).

Complementary (an interplay of illustration and text is necessary to understand the meaning of the lemma).

Redundant (the illustration either has a purely aesthetic purpose or completely overlaps with the text in terms of its explanatory value).

Gouws argues that pictorial illustrations can be employed as a micro structural type to enhance semantic disambiguation [2]. He further adds that pictorial illustrations have a semantic importance, a lexicographical function and a range of applications and although the primary utilization of ostensive addressing is found in the differentiation of senses in equivalent relations of semantic divergence, it is also used extensively where a lemma has a low degree of translatability. The explicitness that can be achieved through the use of pictorial illustrations enhances the retrieval of information. This applies to both monolingual descriptive and translation dictionaries.

Al-Kasimi argues that pictorial illustrations should be systematically and consistently employed in bilingual dictionaries, not for the purpose of advertisement but as an «essential lexicographic device» [3].

Illustrations help the dictionary user to comprehend and remember the content of the accompanying verbal equivalent because they motivate him, reinforce what is read and symbolically enhance and deepen the meaning of the verbal equivalent. The use of visuals such as pictures, illustrations, and flash cards are common nowadays in teaching English. They help teachers to teach better and students to learn better. Any current English textbook is full of pictures and illustrations, most often in colour. Sometimes they play only an additional role, and sometimes they contain a core meaning of the dictionary entry. This point represents an interesting point to study it further.

Currently, the importance of foreign culture and language as a subject of study in schools, universities and other educational institutions raises the question of the necessity to update the methodical system and materials, which have an important element - educational dictionaries, as they are the providers of the basic linguistic material.

According to Cianciolo both the text and illustrations in an illustrated book are important [4]. There should be a harmonious combination of written and illustrative elements in whichever book that includes illustrations. This is applicable to dictionaries too. The lemma illustrated and the illustration must be relevant and there should be some pattern in deciding which elements to illustrate and which ones not to illustrate, as the dictionary cannot be a fully illustrated text.

When words and pictures are functioning well together, there is little doubt that they give the reader better information than either one alone.

Different text genres have developed different traditions regarding the ways in which they integrate text and graphics, much of which depends on the main function of the document and the desired effect on the user/reader.

Nowadays, the period of lexicography development is characterized by new forms of storage and processing of the dictionary data, the advent of the expanded range of reference books, refinement of classical dictionaries and adapting them to modern standards and user's requirements. Illustrated and illustrative dictionaries are an attempt to strengthen the role of visibility in English teaching, as new words can be acquired faster and more effectively with the help of visual perception of the object. Without any doubt this type dictionaries plays a major role.

The difference between the illustrated and illustrative dictionaries is the function that is performed by a graphic illustration. In the first case (illustrated type of dictionaries), it has an additional function towards the verbal interpretation of dictionary units, while the second (illustrative type of dictionaries) is the only means of semantization of words.

According to Gropper [5] pictorial illustrations can serve two functions in the bilingual dictionary.

They cue and reinforce the verbal equivalents especially when the dictionary user can identify, attend to and respond differentially to the picture.

They serve as generalizing examples when several different but relevant pictures are given in order to establish the concept they intended to illustrate.

Pictorial illustrations help the dictionary user to comprehend and remember the content of the accompanying verbal equivalent because they motivate him, reinforce what is read and symbolically enhance and deepen the meaning of the verbal equivalent.

A learner's sensitivity to language and their ability to create relations amongst words can be further enhanced by the use of visuals. Graphic images can bring out more detailed, knowledgeable, responsive, awareness to the object, situation or text being communicated. Moreover, the use of a picture may lead a learner to more abstract thought as well as the ability to distinguish ideas or to demonstrate greater precision counting organizing skills through the use of logical structure. Overall, an bring out a more complex sensitivity in the learner.

Pictures help individual learners predict information, infer information, deduce information, analyze today's world so that it can be brought into today's classroom and offer social settings which can immerse or expose the learner to new ideas or further promote an already created setting. If a visual is used in a testing or teaching situation it can enhance clarity and give meaning to the text or to the message being communicated. Visuals can serve to create a solid link between the material learned and the practical application of it on a test.

The nature of graphic images serves as a catalyst and stimulus. Moreover, the visual can offer input, output and/or feedback on materials learned. Likewise, a learner using a visual may be more apt to give an added response to the traditionally expected form. The response may change according to the picture in collaboration with the task as it works as an interactive negotiator. Although some practitioners may argue that a picture can serve as an impetus, others would equally argue that the same picture has the potential to urge an opinion (Canning 1998). As teachers manipulate texts daily in lessons, teachers can also control and open a picture to a variety of language learning activities as well as a variety of interpretations. illustration dictionary image

The advantages of pictures suggest that visuals can help make a task or situation more authentic. Pictures can help testers and teachers to identify or manipulate structures, vocabulary, functions, situations and skills. Visuals used as testing prompts can be used to measure semantic and associative clusters. Pictures allow students to focus on the whole item or a piece of an item. Pictures can give or not give a context depending on what needs to be tested. Pictures offer test takers options for more interpretive responses, patterns and ranges to answer posited exam questions.

We can definitely conclude that images have a growing tendency to be an essential part of nowadays language and life, therefore illustrations now are an indispensable part of modern dictionaries and language teaching textbooks.

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