Cultural specificities of online dictionaries for English learners: Evidence from a user survey and a multimodal discourse analysis

Abstract

Abstract This study examines three popular e-dictionary platforms using a quantitative user survey coupled with a qualitative multimodal discourse analysis (MDA): Chinese Youdao, Cambridge English-Mandarin Chinese Dictionary (Cambridge), and the Free Dictionary (FD). The survey (N = 478) revealed that, despite its language flaws, Youdao was preferred by most Chinese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners mainly due to its search functionality and personalization. In contrast, English majors and postgraduates preferred Cambridge for its reliability and multimodal resources. FD ranked the lowest in popularity mainly for perceived inconvenience of searching and less accessibility of personalized functions. Multinomial logistic regressions and structural equation modelling showed that dictionary selection by users was contingent upon their perception of its features and their use strategies. Furthermore, MDA revealed how each dictionary contributed to the construction of a cultural identity. Youdao seemed to be a toolbox for personal use, with raw texts of varying quality, but with a clear and practical vision, in addition to customization options. Cambridge portrayed itself as a welcoming language community through appealing imagery, interactive options, and diverse navigational styles. FD was comparable to a dynamic and cluttered library, archiving large blocks of hyperlinked texts and word lists accompanied by musical animations. In brief, multimodal and cultural factors partially explained Chinese EFL learners’ preferences for a specific dictionary, highlighting the importance of adaptation to the linguistic and cultural background of the user, including customization. A general cultural and semiotic framework is proposed to examine the representation of cultural identity in e-dictionaries.