English Education x Innovation x Dictionary: Exploring the Relationship Between Linguistics and Dictionary Development

On Sunday, September 22, 2024, the second installment of the Seijo University Kinokuniya Bookstore Academia Series, “English Education x Innovation x Dictionary,” took place. This course is part of the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Social Innovation and focuses on the intersection of English education, innovation, and dictionaries.

Professor Yasuki Ishii delivered the lecture, titled “Innovation and Dictionaries in Linguistics and English Education: Applying Corpus, Cognitive Linguistics, and CEFR to Writing English-Japanese Dictionaries.” English dictionaries have undergone significant changes over the years, influenced by three key innovations in linguistics and English education: corpus linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The lecture examined how these innovations have impacted dictionaries and their reflection in modern dictionaries.

The importance of collocations and prepositions, as well as the challenges facing modern dictionaries, were explained through examples of English dictionaries, quizzes, and comparisons with Japanese. The lecture also detailed research developments supporting the evolution of dictionaries. Participants, including current researchers and high school students, engaged in a lively discussion, asking questions about the relationship between generative AI and language learning challenges faced by Japanese people.

The event concluded on a high note, with attendees gaining valuable insights into the complex relationship between linguistics, innovation, and dictionary development.

Corpus Linguistics: A research methodology that involves collecting and analyzing large databases of language data to understand language patterns and usage.