Using Dictionary in Writing Skripsi/Thesis

    Using Dictionary in Writing Skripsi/Thesis

                                              Written by Ari Julianto

In writing a skripsi/thesis a dictionary and a thesaurusplays an important role. This kind of reference helps us in giving a valid definition of the term, or specific word to make the readers understand the content of the skripsi/thesis clearly.

There is a range of specialist dictionaries that might be useful to us as a guide in giving definitions and terms in writing a skripsi/thesis.

1. Subject Dictionary
 This gives us the meanings of specialist terms within a discipline. It gives a quick reference to explanations of specialist terms that are not found in general dictionaries.
For examples:
- Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics by Jack C. Richards, Richard W. Schmidt.
- Merriam-webster's Medical Dictionary by Merriam-Webster.
- Dictionary of Business and Economics Terms  by Jack P. Friedman.

2. Spelling Dictionary
This gives us correct spellings as well as frequently misspelt versions with the correct spelling alongside.
For examples:
- Scholastic Dictionary of Spelling by Marvin Terban and Harry Campbell.
- Webster's New World Speller/Divider by The Editors of the Webster's New World Dictionaries and Staff of Webster's New World Dictionary Webster's New World Pocket Misspeller's Dictionary by Michael E. Agnes .
-  Modern Chinese-English dictionary;: Romanized phonetic spelling basic word finding method, by I-chih Kuo.

3. Etymological Dictionary
This gives us the linguistic origins of words, and developments in their meaning.
For examples:
- The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology by C.T. Onions, G. W. S. Friedrichsen and R. W. Burchfield.
-Chambers Dictionary of Etymology by Robert K. Barnhart and Sol Steinmetz.  
- The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Oxford Paperback Reference) by T. F. Hoad. 

4. Collocation Dictionary
This gives us words that are often positioned together. This is useful when you find yourself searching for one word usually used alongside another.
For examples:
- Oxford Collocations Dictionary by Colin McIntosh, Ben Francis and Richard Poole.
- Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English by Diana Lea.
- Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus Paper with Online by Collective.

5. Rhyming Dictionary
This gives s the words with similar end sounds; useful when writing poetry.
For examples:
- Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary by Merriam-Webster.
- The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet's Craft Book by Clement Wood and Ronald J. Bogus.
- The New Comprehensive American Rhyming Dictionary by Sue Young.

6. Pronunciation Dictionary
This gives us a phonetic version of the headword. You can work out the phonetic code from the symbols that are given, usually at the front of the dictionary.
For examples:
- Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary by Daniel Jones, Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling.  
- Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, Paper with CD-ROM (3rd Edition) by J C Wells.
- Black's Law Dictionary with Pronunciations, 6th Edition (Centennial Edition 1891-1991) by Henry Campbell Black.

7. Bilingual Dictionary
This gives us equivalent words from two languages, often arranged in two sections, translating from one language to the other, and vice versa.
For examples:
- Barron's Spanish-English Pocket Bilingual Dictionary (Barron's Foreign Language Guides) by Dr. Margaret Cop. 
- French English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (DK Visual Dictionaries) by DK.
- Germanâ English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (DK Visual Dictionaries) by DK.


8. English Learner’s Dictionary
This primarily intended for those learning English as a second language, but very useful for all because they give examples of use, including idioms, and a  pronunciation guide.
For examples:
- Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary: Hardcover with CD-ROM by Collins COBUILD.
-  Oxford Advanced American Dictionary for learners of English by Inc. Oxford University Press.
- The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary by Jack Halpern.