I bumped into an old friend who used to work on Dictionaries (I was phrase books). We were both of the opinion that we preferred the solid reliability of a physical dictionary compared to online offerings. But we are of an age that had no option. The Information Super Highway hadn't even been plotted on our future's map.
Yet nowadays most people wouldn't dream of consulting a dictionary (in other words a book). They would just key the word into an online dictionary and hey presto! they get something back. Whether it is the correct word for the context they want to apply it to, I am not sure.
Which means that sales of dictionaries are on the decrease. After all, why buy one when you can look something up for free. I think the answer is in making dictionaries more attractive, more interesting to read in their own right. Don't ask me how. That's for the dictionary publishers to figure out.
No comments:
Post a Comment