Dictionary Usage Preferences of Chinese Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language: The Case of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10760Abstract
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 DictionariesReferences
[1] Jackson, H., 2016. Lexicography: an introduction. In: Gürlek, M., Patat, E. (eds.). Kesit Publishing: Istanbul, Türkiye. (in Turkish)
[2] Svensén, B., 1993. Practical Lexicography: Principles and Methods of Dictionary-Making. In: Sykes, J., Schofield, K. (eds.). Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
[3] Kocaman, A., 1998. Linguistics, Dictionary and Lexicography. Kebikeç. 6, 111–113. (in Turkish)
[4] Tarp, S., 2009. Reflections on lexicographic user research. Lexikos. 19, 275–296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5788/19-0-440
[5] Wilkins, D.A., 1972. Linguistics in Language Teaching. Edward Arnold: London, UK.
[6] Golynskaia, A., 2017. A model of the monolingual learner’s dictionary in teaching Turkish as a foreign language: model, methods and principles [Master’s thesis]. Istanbul University Social Sciences Institute: Istanbul, Türkiye. (in Turkish)
[7] Üseini, S., 2003. The Use of Dictionaries as a Learning Strategy by Students of English at the University of Tetova [Master’s thesis]. Cyril and Methodius University: Skopje, Macedonia.
[8] Nagy, W.E., Herman, P.A., 1987. Breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge: Implications for acquisition and instruction. In: McKeown, M.G., Curtis, M.E. (eds.). The Nature of Vocabulary Acquisition. Lawrence Erlbaum: New York, USA; London, UK. pp. 19–35.
[9] Çetinkaya, B., 2010. Collocational dictionaries and a collocational dictionary of Turkish. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Dictionary Writing and Research in Türkiye and the World. Kubbealtı Academy Culture and Arts Foundation: Istanbul, Türkiye. pp. 406–415. (in Turkish)
[10] Durmuş, M., Demirel-Aydemir, G.D., 2019. Using authentic materials and teaching vocabulary in foreign language teaching. In: Okur, A., Göçen, G. (eds.). Teaching Turkish as a foreign language/as a second language/for people of Turkish descent living abroad. Nobel Academic Publishing: Ankara, Türkiye. pp. 309–345. (in Turkish)
[11] Özbay, M., Melanlıoğlu, D., 2013. An Investigation into Skills of Foreigner Turkish Learners' Dictionary Use. Journal of Mother Tongue Education. 1(1), 13–23. (in Turkish)
[12] Halat, S., Fırat, H., 2021. Student Opinions about the Use of Dictionary in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language. Journal of Bayburt Education Faculty. 16, 148–165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35675/befdergi.849926 (in Turkish)
[13] Bekdaş, M., 2017. Sözlük türlerinin tasnifi. Route Educational and Social Science Journal. 4(4), 52–59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17121/ressjournal.712 (in Turkish)
[14] Atkins, B.T., Rundell, M., 2008. The Oxford Guide to Practical Lexicography. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.
[15] Hartmann, R.R.K., 2001. Teaching and Researching Lexicography. Routledge: London, UK; New York, NY, USA.
[16] Nakamoto, K., 1994. Establishing criteria for dictionary criticism: A checklist for reviewers of monolingual English learners' dictionaries [Master’s thesis]. University of Exeter: Exeter, UK.
[17] Cremear, T.B.I., 1991. Chinese lexicography. In: Hausmann, F.J. (ed.). Dictionaries. Walter de Gruyter: Berlin, Germany. pp.2595–2611.
[18] Hausmann, F.J., 1991. Dictionaries and the standardization of languages. In: Reichmann, O., Wiegand, H.E., Zgusta, L. (eds.). Dictionaries: An International Encyclopedia of Lexicography. Walter de Gruyter: Berlin, Germany. pp.1–18.
[19] Norman, J., 1988. Chinese. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
[20] Shiqi, X., 1982. Chinese lexicography past and present. Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America. 4, 151–169.
[21] Cremear, T.B.I., 1989. Shuo wen Jie zi and textual criticism in China. International Journal of Lexicography. 2(3), 176–187.
[22] Liu, J.S., 2015. Developments in Chinese-English bilingual dictionary design: From tradition to innovation. International Journal of Lexicography. 28(3), 271–290. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/ecv011
[23] Özkan, B., 2013. Corpus Based Dictionary of Turkey Turkish's Lexicon: Method and Application. bilig. Journal of Social Sciences of the Turkic World. 66(3), 149–178. (in Turkish)
[24] Lew, R., 2014. User-generated content (UGC) in electronic dictionaries. OPAL–Online publizierte Arbeiten zur Linguistik. 4, 8–26. (in German)
[25] Granger, S., Paquot, M., 2012. Electronic lexicography. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. pp.257–281.
[26] Rundell, M., Kilgarriff, A., 2011. Automating the creation of dictionaries: where will it all end? John Benjamins: Amsterdam, Netherlands.
[27] Erkuş, A., 2013. Davranış bilimleri için bilimsel araştırma süreci, 4th ed. Seçkin Publishing: Ankara, Türkiye. (in Turkish)
[28] Zhou, Z.Q., 2008. Turkish-Chinese Dictionary. Commercial Press: Beijing, China. (in Turkish)
[29] Özkan, B., 2019. Turkish for Foreigners-1-Verbs in Turkey Turkish–frequency/vocabularies components/meaning/collocations–a corpus-based application. Efe Academy Publishing: Istanbul, Türkiye. (in Turkish)
[30] Tüm, G., 2017. Dictionary use of Turkish learners as a foreign language: A case study. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching. 4(4), 254–266. (in Turkish)
[31] Nation, I.S.P., 2001. Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.
[32] Pintrich, P.R., 2004. A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational Psychology Review. 16(4), 385–407. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-004-0006-x
[33] Holec, H., 1981. Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning. Pergamon Press: Oxford, UK.
Downloads
Issue
Article Type
License
Copyright © 2025 Ayça Çağlayan Özkan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Ayça Çağlayan Özkan 