Schedule: 2009-09-11 (15:45 - 16:30)
Parallel Session 6 (Room A-36)

Title: The verification of the shape of computer-based imaginary glosses in a multimedia dictionary: In the settings of English polysemous words
Authors: Takeshi Sato, Akio Suzuki
Abstract: In recent times, various types of multimedia language dictionaries have been created on account of their great contributions as glosses for second language or foreign teachers and learners. The strong interest in multimedia functions of the dictionaries may be based on the fact that the linguistic information of paper-based dictionaries has been considerably problematized in verifying the sense of polysemous vocabulary such as prepositions. Lindstromberg (2001) points out four weaknesses of paper-based dictionaries with the description of a polysemous word “on”: (1) sense information is sometimes vague or misleading; (2) sense information is often mismatched to examples; (3) coverage of similar uses is often dispersed throughout an entry; and (4) paradigmatic semantic contrasts are ignored. In addition, Tanaka (1990) shows that the assignment of translation to each word meaning of a polysemous word may refrain learners from understanding the relationship of each word meaning, leading to the failure of appropriate use of the vocabulary in context. Considering the limit of verbal representation, multimedia glosses could compensate for the lack of linguistic information on the vocabulary.
However, it appears that many electronic glosses of multimedia dictionaries have not necessarily made effective use of their advantages, taking into account the following perspectives: little attention has been paid to the fact that electronic glosses have an effect on learning, to the type of vocabulary used, and also to the configuration of multimedia glosses, which differentiates their advantages from that of paper-based glosses.
The aim of this study, therefore, is to clarify these issues to design better electronic glosses from the perspective of English as a foreign language (EFL) vocabulary learning by focusing on the configuration of visual representations of “image-schema,” which represents an abstract spatial image originally possessed by each preposition. Sufficient discussions in cognitive semantics on the effectiveness of the image-schema as a cognitive device will help learners to relate to each word meaning and thus help EFL learners to successfully comprehend their interrelationship.
Based on the presupposition that the representation of the image schema as an electronic gloss helps learners to connect with each word meaning and results in the proper use of words, this study examines the shape of visual representation. This study hypothesizes that three-dimensional spatial images can foster EFL learners’ successful understanding of the sense information more than that achieved via two-dimensional images. This is because image-schema emerges from our bodily interactions and experiences.
In our study, following the rationale of the effectiveness of image-schema in comprehending the interrelationship of word meaning, verification experimental research will be conducted to demonstrate the superiority of three-dimensional representation of image-schema as an electronic gloss by creating a multimedia English dictionary for spatial prepositions.
Keywords: electronic gloss, multimedia dictionary, polysemous word, spatial preposition, image-schema, visual represenation

Main topic: New developments in multimedia courseware design

Biodata: Takeshi Sato is a Senior Assistant Professor in Institute of Symbiotec Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. His interests lie in vocabulary acquisition, CALL and language policy. Akio Suzuki is a Senior Assistant Professor in the faculty of business administration, Toyo University. His interests lie in Cognitive Psychology, TESOL and CALL.
Type of presentation Paper presentation

Paper category Research & Development

Target educational sector Higher education

Language of delivery English

EU-funded project No

Schedule:	2009-09-11 (15:45 - 16:30) Parallel Session 6 (Room A-36)
Title:	The verification of the shape of computer-based imaginary glosses in a multimedia dictionary: In the settings of English polysemous words
Authors:	Takeshi Sato, Akio Suzuki
Abstract:	In recent times, various types of multimedia language dictionaries have been created on account of their great contributions as glosses for second language or foreign teachers and learners. The strong interest in multimedia functions of the dictionaries may be based on the fact that the linguistic information of paper-based dictionaries has been considerably problematized in verifying the sense of polysemous vocabulary such as prepositions. Lindstromberg (2001) points out four weaknesses of paper-based dictionaries with the description of a polysemous word “on”: (1) sense information is sometimes vague or misleading; (2) sense information is often mismatched to examples; (3) coverage of similar uses is often dispersed throughout an entry; and (4) paradigmatic semantic contrasts are ignored. In addition, Tanaka (1990) shows that the assignment of translation to each word meaning of a polysemous word may refrain learners from understanding the relationship of each word meaning, leading to the failure of appropriate use of the vocabulary in context. Considering the limit of verbal representation, multimedia glosses could compensate for the lack of linguistic information on the vocabulary. However, it appears that many electronic glosses of multimedia dictionaries have not necessarily made effective use of their advantages, taking into account the following perspectives: little attention has been paid to the fact that electronic glosses have an effect on learning, to the type of vocabulary used, and also to the configuration of multimedia glosses, which differentiates their advantages from that of paper-based glosses. The aim of this study, therefore, is to clarify these issues to design better electronic glosses from the perspective of English as a foreign language (EFL) vocabulary learning by focusing on the configuration of visual representations of “image-schema,” which represents an abstract spatial image originally possessed by each preposition. Sufficient discussions in cognitive semantics on the effectiveness of the image-schema as a cognitive device will help learners to relate to each word meaning and thus help EFL learners to successfully comprehend their interrelationship. Based on the presupposition that the representation of the image schema as an electronic gloss helps learners to connect with each word meaning and results in the proper use of words, this study examines the shape of visual representation. This study hypothesizes that three-dimensional spatial images can foster EFL learners’ successful understanding of the sense information more than that achieved via two-dimensional images. This is because image-schema emerges from our bodily interactions and experiences. In our study, following the rationale of the effectiveness of image-schema in comprehending the interrelationship of word meaning, verification experimental research will be conducted to demonstrate the superiority of three-dimensional representation of image-schema as an electronic gloss by creating a multimedia English dictionary for spatial prepositions.
Keywords:	electronic gloss, multimedia dictionary, polysemous word, spatial preposition, image-schema, visual represenation
Main topic:	New developments in multimedia courseware design
Biodata:	Takeshi Sato is a Senior Assistant Professor in Institute of Symbiotec Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. His interests lie in vocabulary acquisition, CALL and language policy. Akio Suzuki is a Senior Assistant Professor in the faculty of business administration, Toyo University. His interests lie in Cognitive Psychology, TESOL and CALL.
Type of presentation	Paper presentation
Paper category	Research & Development
Target educational sector	Higher education
Language of delivery	English
EU-funded project	No