The Application and Effectiveness of Prototype Theory in The New Oxford English-Chinese Dictionary

The New Oxford English-Chinese Dictionary (NOECD) is a bilingualized dictionary based on the New Oxford Dictionary of English (NODE), which is likely the first dictionary to claim explicitly to put prototype theory into dictionary making. Assessments of the effectiveness of this move vary, but so far, no empirical study has been conducted to examine it. This paper reports two studies of the application of prototype theory in NOECD. The first regards the use of the theory in defining and sense organising, and the second concerns users’ perception of the effectiveness of the organisation of sense. The first study is qualitative, and it examines how prototype theory is exhibited in defining and sense organising. The second study is empirical and consists of a test of dictionary users’ vocabulary retention and some follow-up questions. In this second study, it was found that the prototype strategy adopted by NOECD, of identifying a core sense and grouping subsenses around it, contributed little to improving user efficiency in memorising word meanings. Several possible reasons are proposed to account for the ineffectiveness: the influence of L1, limitations of prototype theory, users’ inadequate dictionary skills and others. It is concluded that these challenges could be addressed by compiling nation-specific dictionaries for specific users. Dictionary training should be an inseparable part of language learning to improve users’ dictionary skills and awareness.