14 - 20 December 2000
Issue No.512
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 14 - 20 December 2000 Issue No.512 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
A dictionary across the divide
English-Arabic Elias Illustrated Junior Dictionary, Karen Glasgow and Eva Elias, Cairo: Elias Modern Publishing House, 1999.
The new English-Arabic Elias Illustrated Junior Dictionary is a "dictionary with a difference." Ordinary dictionaries explain words in a basic way, but they seldom guide learners on to new, fresh, more appropriate words that are just right for the context. However, the Elias Junior Dictionary does exactly this by helping the learner choose the right word for the right place. It's what intermediate students of English have been waiting for.
The Dictionary is designed to meet the needs of young learners of the English language whose mother tongue is Arabic. The gap between the two languages is so wide that a glossary which confines itself to equating words is as frustrating for the Arab reader reading an English text as it is for the English speaker trying to convey his thoughts in Arabic. The gap is wide not only because of the different concepts and values that obtain in the West and the East. It has seemed best to the editors, therefore, to tackle the problem of bridging this gap by first establishing as solid a platform as possible on one side of the language barrier and then proceeding from there. This meant that the first requirement was a fresh appraisal of what usage was current in English combined with the creation of a system of conventions for its presentation. Next came the search for Arabic equivalents. In turn this called for a fresh appraisal of relevant usage in current Arabic and equally for the creation of a system of conventions for its presentation.
This task was further complicated by two major factors inherent in living languages, which by their nature are constantly changing. As Samuel Johnson, pioneer of English dictionaries, wrote "no tongue can ever be perfect, since while it is hastened to publication, some words are budding, and some are falling away." Every increase of knowledge and experience produces new words, new connotations of old words, and new combinations of old words. Since it is the function of the lexicographer to record what is current rather than to lay down the law, the words and phrases of current English of all levels are given their place in the Dictionary. The Arabic equivalents are as far as possible given at the same level of usage. In this feature the Dictionary is breaking new ground.
Furthermore, the Dictionary uses a quick, handy guide to common words that is most useful both for school and for everyday conversation. It includes over 7,500 entries and gives an example sentence for certain selective meanings, including an explanatory note that further explains it. This helps the student to get a clear sense of the word, as well as some additional information related to it. An example of this is the explanation of the verb "to lean." First, this is translated as yamil ila, and then a sentence that further clarifies the meaning is provided, which reads as follows: "The Tower of Pisa is famous because it leans to one side." Following this is a highlighted paragraph that gives a short account of the Tower of Pisa. The young user will find this encyclopaedic information illuminating and enjoyable.
The approach is highly practical, and the user is constantly being stimulated by both the new information and the opportunity to place what he or she is learning into contexts that are either already familiar or which he or she already knows from experience. Thus generations of students and teachers will be able to benefit from using the Elias Dictionary, which gives practical help in key areas of English-language learning.
The Dictionary is very clearly laid out with plenty of illustrations. Explanations are clear and concise. Every definition is clear and straightforward but is achieved with simple language. The arrangement of the print and the division of the pages are
attractive to the eye and easy to read. The main body of the Dictionary is illustrated, although not lavishly, with colourful drawings that serve to enliven as much as to elucidate. A picture is given only when it can help a user's understanding of a word, either because he or she may never have seen the thing being defined (as with certain culture-specific items) or when a picture can do the job better than words, such as is the case, for example, for the explanation given of "leapfrog" where an illustration is very useful.
The Elias Illustrated Junior Dictionary also includes a conjugation table of irregular English verbs listed as entry words and a section featuring the nations of the world, with information on flags, capital cities, official languages and currencies and an up-to-date glossary of computer and Internet terms. The Arabic translation for several of these terms is supplemented by an explanation in simple language that will aid the young learner in developing the skills needed to benefit from using computers and the Internet.
It is to be hoped that this dictionary will not only be of use to the English student of Arabic, but that it will also materially help the Arab world to understand English. This dictionary really teaches English. It provides more help than ever before. It will enable students to write better English and Arabic, to speak better, to understand more easily and hence to avoid common mistakes and learn more effectively.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
