Maskew Miller Longman South African School Dictionary (Maskew Miller Longman) R105, 95
Maskew Miller Longman South African School Dictionary is an outstanding text as it covers a range of subjects. It facilitates language, learning and teaching, with the aim of developing learners who are aware of multi-lingualism, cultural diversity and their South African heritage.
The layout is eye-catching and enables learners to easily find what they are looking for. The headwords are bold and colourful and are accompanied by simplified meanings for easy accessibility and decoding. Where the headword has more than one meaning, the most well known is given first, with clear examples. To help learners with the correct pronunciation of words, stressed syllables are highlighted in bold. The entries indicate the parts of speech that will help with grammar and sentence formulation.
Thesaurus boxes help learners to choose the right words for different linguistic purposes. Boxed notes on grammar, usage and spelling give guidance on how to use words and to distinguish between easily confused words (such as born and borne). These boxed notes highlight difficult words by underlining letters where common spelling errors occur, while register labels indicate whether words can be used in formal or informal settings. Visual literacy is promoted through illustrations and photographs, making the dictionary accessible to a wide range of age groups.
The etymology of words is given – the dictionary provides word origins and how their meanings have changed over time. It also includes vocabulary used by ordinary South Africans, such as bergie, mqashiyo and skokiaan. These words originate from South African indigenous languages.
The updated South African vocabulary is drawn from various fields: politics, computer sciences, technology, sport, music, culture and life sciences, et cetera. The dictionary includes political parties, movements and current words such as BEE, as well as all holidays in the South African calendar.
The language notes at the back of the book focus on the origins of the English language, South African English, etymologies, punctuation and spelling, how to write essays, letters and emails, numbers, weights and measures, countable and uncountable nouns, irregular verbs and word building. There are also 10 lessons about how to use the dictionary in the classroom.
The dictionary is tailored for grades four to 12: its simple layout, clear meanings and numerous illustrations make it easily accessible to younger learners, such as those in grades four to seven, who are at a crucial period in their lives.
These learners have thus far been educated in their home languages and are now having to switch to English as their language of learning. In this transitional stage, they are faced with the challenge of using different texts and materials and are expected to demonstrate a reading vocabulary ranging from 1 000 to 7 500 common words.
This dictionary will help learners to read with comprehension, increasing their vocabulary levels. Learners who are exposed to reading have a better chance of performing well at school as they will be able to communicate confidently in both oral and written language situations. The educator is challenged to constantly and consistently provide opportunities for cognitive linguistic development within meaning-based contexts.
Grades eight to 12 are expected to expand their knowledge of academic words. The vocabulary that covers a wide range of fields, etymologies, thesaurus boxes, spelling, grammar and usage boxes will cater for the needs of these learners. The language notes and guides about how the educator can use the dictionary is an invaluable resource to all learners.
I believe it would be invaluable if an electronic version of the dictionary was made available on internet as this service also reaches rural areas. Furthermore, the target audience should not only be learners, but also tertiary students, who will benefit from this good work.
In a previous edition of the Teacher, Mariza Steyn wrote: ”School dictionaries should be more than spell-check tools.” What Steyn is advocating is exactly what this new dictionary is trying to address. It seeks to capture the attention of young learners, while promoting the intellectual development of learners and students.
This dictionary is a must-have in every home, school and resource centre. Its descriptions of the meanings of words cut across the cultural barrier and it also fits well with the new curriculum. Hence it is a resource for the grade 12 learners.
Bulelwa Lisa is a grade eight and 10 teacher at Gqibibhongo Secondary School in Alice in the Eastern Cape