The Phonetics and User-friendliness of Free Online Dictionaries: An Overview

Abstract

Since the appearance of electronic dictionaries, ways of obtaining dictionary information have changed. Paper dictionaries seem to be losing popularity among EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students over their electronic counterparts. The present survey was undertaken in this relatively recent area of lexicography and is in relation to the content and quality of English to English online pronunciation dictionaries. It provides an overview of free online dictionaries concerning the representation of their phonetic content and their user-friendliness.