Dictionary Usage Preferences of Chinese Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language: The Case of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

Authors

  • Ayça Çağlayan Özkan

    Graduate School of Educational Sciences, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Türkiye

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10760
Received: 28 June 2025 | Revised: 15 July 2025 | Accepted: 18 July 2025 | Published Online: 2 September 2025

Abstract

Dictionaries play a crucial role in developing vocabulary knowledge and language skills in foreign language education. With evolving user expectations and technological advances, dictionary design has shifted from traditional to corpus-based approaches. This study aims to reveal the dictionary usage preferences of native Chinese learners of Turkish as a foreign language and the content adequacy of the existing dictionaries in this field for language teaching. The research questions of the study are as follows: 'What are the dictionary usage preferences of native Chinese learners of Turkish as a foreign language?' and 'How adequate is the content of the dictionaries commonly used by native Chinese learners during the process of learning Turkish for language teaching purposes?' The study group consists of 48 undergraduate students from the Turkish Language Department of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. A structured questionnaire captured their usage frequency, preferred dictionary types, and language combinations. Results show that students frequently use dictionaries, favoring printed and online Turkish-Chinese dictionaries, particularly Zhou Zheng Qing's version. To evaluate content adequacy, the study compares the widely used traditional Turkish-Chinese dictionary with a corpus-based learner's dictionary. Using a checklist derived from lexicographic theory, key differences in structural and functional features are analyzed. Findings suggest that traditional dictionaries lack contextual support, authentic examples, and production-oriented design. In contrast, the corpus-based dictionary offers rich, pedagogically valuable content aligned with modern language learning needs. The study recommends incorporating corpus-based resources into Turkish language instruction and promoting dictionary awareness among learners.

Keywords:

Turkish Teaching; Turkish Teaching as a Foreign Language; Dictionary Usage in Language Teaching; Corpus-Based Dictionaries; Turkish–Chinese Dictionaries

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How to Cite

Çağlayan Özkan, A. (2025). Dictionary Usage Preferences of Chinese Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language: The Case of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(9), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10760

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 9 (September 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Ayça Çağlayan Özkan

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